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THRILLING ADVENTURES 



BY 



LAND AND SEA. 



KMARKABLE HISTORICAL FACTS, GATHERED 
. FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES. 



EDITED BY 



JAMES 0. BRAYMAN, ESQ. 



" Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances, 
Of moving accidents by flood and field." 



BUFFALO: 
GEO. H. DERBY AND CO, 

1 S5i» 






Entered according to the Act of Congress, in tlie year 1851, 

By Geo. H. Derby & Co. 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
Northern District of New York. 



<o3(a<%. 



0* 



/.JEWSI^, JHOM4S AND CO. 
* Sfcreijtypfcrs, Buffalo, N. Y, 



PREFACE 



There is a large class of readers who seek books 
for the sake of the amusement they afford. Many 
are not very fastidious as to the character of those 
they select, and consequently the press of the pres- 
ent day teems with works which are not only value- 
less, so far as imparting information is concerned, but 
actually deleterious in their moral tendency, and 
calculated to vitiate and enervate the mind. Such 
publications as pander to a prurient taste find a large 
circulation with a portion of society who read them 
for the same reason that the inebriate seeks his 
bowl, or the gambler the instruments of his voca- 
tion — for the excitement they produce. The influ- 
ence of works of this description is all bad — there 



VI PREFACE. 

is not a single redeeming feature to commend them 
to the favor or toleration of the virtuous or intelligent. 
It cannot he expected that minds accustomed to 
such reading can at once be elevated into the higher 
walks of literature or the more rugged paths of 
science. An intermediate step, by which they may 
be lifted into a higher mental position, is required. 

There is in the adventures of the daring and 
heroic, something that interests all. There is a 
charm about them which, while it partakes of the 
nature of Romance, does not exercise the same 
influence upon the mind or heart. When there are 
noble purposes and noble ends connected with them, 
they excite in the mind of the reader, noble 
impulses. 

The object of the present compilation is to form a 
readable and instructive volume — a volume of start- 
ling incident and exciting adventure, which shall 
interest all minds, and by its attractions beget a 
thirst for reading with those who devote their lei- 
sure hours to things hurtful to themselves and to 
community. We have endeavored to be authentic, 



PREFACE. Vll 

and to present matter, which, if it sometimes fail to 
impart knowledge or instruction, or convey a moral 
lesson, will, at least, be innoxious. But we trust 
we have succeeded in doing more than this — in 
placing before the reading public something that is 
really valuable, and that will produce valuable 
results. 



_ 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Incident at Resaca de la Palnia, 13 

True Heroism, 17 

Thrilling Incident, 20 

Incident in the "War of Mexican Independence 25 

Sketch from Life on the Ocean, 35 

Escape from Shipwreck, 51 

The Hunter's Wife, 61 

Deaf Smith, the Texan Spy, 77 

Escape from a Shark, 89 

Adventure with Pirates, 95 

A Sea-Fowling Adventure, 103 

Adventure with a Cobra di Capello, 109 

Combat of "Wild Animals, 115 

Perilous Incident on a Canadian River, 118 

Leopard Hunting, 127 

Hunting the White Rhinoceros, 134 

A Leopard Hunt, 144 

Life in California, 147 

A Storm among the Icebergs, 153 

Fall of the Rossberg, 158 

The Rifleman of Chippewa, 1 162 

Shipwreck of the Blendenhall, ; 169 

Adventures of Sergeant Champe, 177 

Adventure with Pirates, 197 

Kenton, the Spy, 204 

The Dying Volunteer, 226 

Escape from a Mexican Quicksand, 335 

1* 



X CONTENTS. 

Chased by a Rhinoceros, 246 

Burning of the Erie, 250 

Conflict with an Indian, 258 

Fire on the Prairies, 264 

The Captain's Story, 268 

Tussle with a Wildcat, 277 

Incident in Frontier Life, 280 

Encounter with Robbers, 285 

Shipwreck of the Monticello, 292 

A Jungle Recollection, 305 

Attack of Boonesborough, 315 

Thrilling Incidents of Battle, 319 

Family Attacked by Indians, 325 

Thrilling Incident, 331 

Adventures of Dr. Bacon, 335 

A Battle with Snakes, 351 

Estill's Defeat, '* 358 

Incident at Niagara Falls, 361 

Skater chased by a Wolf, 362 

Our Flag on the Rocky Mountains, 366 

Running the Canon, 372 

The Rescue, 377 

Shipwreck of the Medusa, 390 

Hunting the Moose, 400 

Perilous Escape from Death, 406 

Fire in the Forest, -.-.-, • 410 

Pirates of the Red Sea, ,. 418 

General Jackson and Weatherford, 425 

Cruise of the Saldanha and Talbot, 427 

A Carib's Revenge, 434 

Massacre of Fort Minims, 439 

The Freshe.t, - 441 

The Panther's Den, 445 

Adventure with Elephant's, 451 

The Shark Sentinel, 459 

Hunting the Tiger, - 465 

Indian Devil, 469 

Bear Fight, 472 



CONTENTS. XI 

The Miners of Bois-Monzil, 475 

Ship Towed to Land by Bullocks, 491 

Destruction of a Ship by a Whale, 492 

Burning of the Kent, 501 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Frontispiece, 1 

Attack on the Lighthouse, . . - 22 

Before the Gale, 53 

Escape from a Shark, , 92 

Tiger and Buffalo, 114 

Charge of the Buffalo, 142 

Loss of the Blendenhall, . . 1G8 

Death of Montgomery, , 213 

Escape from the Rhinoceros, 247 

f he Pursuit, , 231 

Loss of the Monticello, 294 

Attack on Boonesborough, 318 

Death of the Widow's Daughter, 327 

Attacked by Wolves, 333 

Attack on Estill's Station, 359 

Our Flag on the Rocky Mountains, 370 

A Sail in Sight, . 39G 

Savages Torturing a Captive, 407 

Gen. Jackson and Weatherford . 424 

Gen. Coffee's Attack on the Indians, . 438 

Hunting the Rhinoceros, 456 

Hunting the Tiger, 4(j4 

Ship towed by Bullocks, 490 

Burning of the Kent, 500 



I — 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 

BY 

LAND AND SEA. 



INCIDENT AT RESACA DE LA PALMA. 

Sergeant Milton gives the following account of 
an incident which befel him at the Battle of Resaca 
de la Palma. 

"At Palo Alto," says he, "I took my rank in the 
troop as second sergeant, and while upon the field 
my horse was wounded in the jaw by a grape-shot, 
which disabled him for service. While he was 
plunging in agony I dismounted, and the quick eye 
of Captain May observed me as I alighted from my 
horse. He inquired if I was hurt. I answered 
no — that my horse was the sufferer. ' I am glad 
it is not yourself,' replied he; i there is another,' 
(pointing at the same time to a steed without a 
rider, which was standing with dilated eye, gazing 
at the strife,) i mount him.' I approached the horse, 






14 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and he stood still until I put my hand upon the rein 
and patted his neck, when he rubbed his head 
alongside of me, as if pleased that some human 
being was about to become his companion in the 
affray. 

" On the second day, at Resaca de la Palma, our 
troop stood' anxiously waiting for the signal to be 
given, and never had I looked upon men on whose 
countenances were more clearly expressed a fixed 
determination to win. The lips of some were pale 
with excitement, and their eyes wore that fixed 
expression which betokens mischief; others, with 
shut teeth, would quietly laugh, and catch a tighter 
grip of the rein, or seat themselves with care and 
firmness in the saddle, while quiet words of confi- 
dence and encouragement were passed from each to 
his neighbor. All at once Captain May rode to the 
front of his troop — every rein and sabre was tightly 
grasped. Raising himself and pointing at the bat- 
tery, he shouted, i Men, follow ! ' There was now 
a clattering of hoofs and a rattling of sabre sheaths — 
the fire of the enemy's guns was partly drawn by 
Lieutenant Ridgely, and the next moment we were 
sweeping like the wind up the ravine. I was in a 
squad of about nine men, who were separated by 
a shower of grape from the battery, and we were 
in advance, May leading. He turned his horse 



BY LAND AND SEA. 15 

opposite the breastwork, in front of the guns, and with 
another shout ' to follow,' leaped over them. Several 
of the horses did follow, but mine, being new and 
not well trained, refused ; two others balked, and 
their riders started down the ravine to turn the 
breastwork where the rest of the troop had entered. 
I made another attempt to clear the guns with my 
horse, turning him around — feeling all the time 
secure at thinking the guns discharged — I put his 
head toward them and gave him spur, but he again 
balked ; so turning his head down the ravine, I - too 
started to ride round the breastwork. 

" As I came down, a lancer dashed at me with 
lance in rest. With my sabre I parried his thrust, 
only receiving a slight flesh-wound from its point in 
the arm, which felt at the time like the prick of a 
pin. The lancer turned and fled; at that moment a 
ball passed through my horse on the left side and 
shattered my right side. The shot killed the horse 
instantly, and he fell upon my left leg, fastening me 
by his weight to the earth. There I lay, right in 
the midst of the action, where carnage was riding 
riot, and every moment the shot, from our own and 
the Mexican guns, tearing up the earth around me. 
I tried to raise my horse so as to extricate my leg 
but I had already grown so weak with my wound 
that I was unable, and from the mere attempt, I fell 



16 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

back exhausted. To acid to my horror, a horse, who 
was careering about, riderless, within a few yards of 
me, received a wound, and he commenced struggling 
and rearing with pain. Two or three times, he 
came near falling on me, but at length, with a 
scream of agony and a bound, he fell dead — his 
body touching my own fallen steed. What I had 
been in momentary dread of now occurred — my 
wounded limb, which was lying across the horse, 
received another ball in the ankle. 

" I now felt disposed to give up ; and, exhausted 
through pain and excitement, a film gathered over 
my eyes, which I thought was the precursor of dis- 
solution. From this hopeless state I was aroused 
by a wounded Mexican, calling out to me, i Bueno 
Americano] and turning my eyes toward the spot, I 
saw that he was holding a certificate and calling to 
me. The tide of action now rolled away from me, 
and hope again sprung up. The Mexican uniforms 
began to disappear from the chapparal, and squad- 
rons of our troops passed in sight, apparently in pur- 
suit. While I was thus nursing the prospect of 
escape, I beheld, not far from me, a villainous-looking 
ranch ero, armed with an American sergeant's short 
sword, dispatching a wounded American soldier, 
whose body he robbed — the next he came to was 
a Mexican, whom he served the same way, and thus 



BY LAND AND SEA. 17 

I looked on while he murderously slew four. I drew 
an undischarged pistol from my holsters, and laying 
myself along my horse's neck, watched him, expect- 
ing to be the next victim; but something* frightened 
him from his vulture-like business, and he fled in 
another direction. I need not say that had he vis- 
ited me I should have taken one more shot at the 
enemy, and would have died content, had I succeed- 
ed in making such an assassin bite the dust. Two 
hours after, I had the pleasure of shaking some of 
my comrades by the hand, who were picking up the 
wounded. They lifted my Mexican friend, too, and 
I am pleased to say he, as well as myself, live to 
fight over again the sanguine fray of JZesaca cle la 
Palmar 



TRUE HEROISM, 



While the plague raged violently at Marseilles, 
every link of affection was broken, the father turned 
from the child, the child from the father ; cowardice 
and ingratitude no longer excited indignation. Mis- 
ery is at its height when it thus destroys every 
generous feeling, thus dissolves every tie of human- 
ity ! the city became a desert, grass grew in the 
streets ; a funeral met you at every step. 



18 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

The physicians assembled in a body at the Hotel 
d'e Ville, to hold a consultation on the fearful dis- 
ease, for which no remedy had yet been discovered. 
After a long deliberation, they decided unanimously, 
that the malady had a peculiar and mysterious char- 
acter, which opening a corpse alone might devel- 
ope — an operation it was impossible to attempt, 
since the operator must infallibly become a victim in 
a few hours, beyond the power of human art to save 
him, as the violence of the attack would preclude 
their administering the customary remedies. A dead 
pause succeeded this fatal declaration. Suddenly, a 
surgeon named Guyon, in.- the prime of life, and of 
great celebrity in his profession, rose and said firmly, 
" Be it so : I devote myself for the safety of my 
country. Before this numerous assembly I swear, 
in the name of humanity and religion, that to-mor- 
row, at the break of day, I will dissect a corpse, and 
write down as I proceed, what I observe." He left 
the assembly instantly. They admired him, lament- 
ed his fate, and doubted whether he would persist in 
his design. The intrepid Guyon, animated by all 
the sublime energy which patriotism can inspire, 
acted up to his word. He had never married, he 
was rich, and he immediately made a will ; he con- 
fessed, and in the middle of the night received the 
sacraments. A man had died of the plague in his 



BY LAND AND SEA. 19 

house within four and twenty hours. Guyon, at 
daybreak, shut himself up in the same room ; he 
took with him an inkstand, paper, and a little cruci- 
fix. Full of enthusiasm, and kneeling before the 
corpse, he wrote, — "Mouldering remains of an im- 
mortal soul, not only can I gaze on thee without 
horror, but even with joy and gratitude. Thou wilt 
open to me the gates of a glorious eternity. In dis- 
covering to me the secret cause of the terrible disease 
which destroys my native city, thou wilt enable me 
to point out some salutary remedy — thou wilt ren- 
der my sacrifice useful. Oh God ! thou wilt bless 
the action thou hast thyself inspired." He began — 
he finished the dreadful operation, and recorded in 
detail his surgical observations. He left the room, 
threw the papers into a vase of vinegar, and after- 
ward sought the lazaretto, where he died in twelve 
hours — a death ten" thousand times more glorious 
than the warrior's, who, to save his country, rushes 
on the enemy's ranks, — since he advances with 
hope, at least, sustained, admired, and seconded by 
a whole army. 



• 20 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



A THRILLING INCIDENT. 

An incident occurred at the Key Biscayne light- 
house, during the Florida war, which is perhaps 
worth recording. The lighthouse, was kept by a 
man named Thompson. His only companion was an 
old negro man ; they both lived in a small hut near 
the lighthouse. One evening about dark they dis- 
covered a party of some fifteen or twenty Indians 
creeping upon them, upon which they immediately 
retreated into the lighthouse, carrying with them a 
keg of gunpowder, with the guns and ammunition. 
From the windows of the lighthouse Thompson 
fired upon them several times, but the moment he 
would show himself at the window, the glasses 
would be instantly riddled by the rifle balls, and he 
had no alternative but to lie close. The Indians mean- 
while getting out of patience, at not being able to force 
the door, which Thompson had secured, collected piles 
of wood, which, being placed against the door and 
set fire to, in process of time not-only burnt through 
the door, but also set fire to the stair-case conduct- 
ing to the lantern, into which Thompson and the 
negro were compelled to retreat. From this, too, 




ATTACK ON THE LIGHTHOUSE. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 23 

they were finally driven by the encroaching flames, 
and were forced outside on the parapet wall, which 
was not more than three feet wide. 

The flames now began to ascend as from a chim- 
ney, some fifteen or twenty feet above the lighthouse. 
These men had to lie in this situation, some seventy 
feet above the ground, with a blazing furnace roast- 
ing them on one side, and the Indians on the other, 
embracing every occasion, as soon as any part of 
the body was exposed to pop at them. The ne- 
gro incautiously exposing himself, was killed, while 
Thompson received several balls in his feet, which 
he had projected beyond the wall. 

. Nearly roasted to death, and in a fit of despera- 
tion, Thompson seized the keg of gunpowder, which 
he had still preserved from the hands of the enemy, 
threw it into the blazing lighthouse, hoping to end' 
his own sufferings and destroy the savages. In a 
few moments it exploded, but the walls were too 
strong to be shaken, and the explosion took place 
out of the lighthouse, as though it had been fired 
from a gun. 

The effect of the concussion was to throw down 
the blazing materials level with the ground, so as to 
produce a subsidence of the flames, and then Thomp- 
son was permitted to remain exempt from their 
influence. Before day the Indians were off, and 



24 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Thompson being left alone, was compelled to throw 
off the body of the negro, while strength was left 
him, and before it putrefied. 

The explosion was heard on board a revenue 
cutter at some distance, which immediately proceed- 
ed to the spot to ascertain what had occurred, when 
they found the lighthouse burnt, and the keeper 
above, on top of it. Various expedients were re- 
sorted to, to get him down ; and finally a kite was 
made, and raised with strong twine, and so manoeu- 
vered as to bring the line within his reach, to which 
a rope of good size was next attached, and hauled up 
by Thompson. Finally, a block, which being fast- 
tened to the lighthouse, and having a rope to it, 
enabled the crew to haul up a couple of men, by 
whose aid Thompson was safely landed on terra 
flrma. 

The Indians had attempted to reach him by means 
of the lightning rod, to which they had attached 
thongs of buckskin, but could not succeed in getting 
more than half way up. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 25 

AN INCIDENT 

IN THE WAR OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE. 

The following thrilling narrative is from a trans- 
lation in Sharpe's Magazine. A captain in the 
Mexican insurgent army is giving an account of a 
meditated night attack upon a hacienda situated 
in the Cordilleras, and occupied by a large force 
of Spanish soldiers. After a variety of details, he 
continues : 

"Having arrived at the hacienda unperceived, 
thanks for the obscurity of a moonless night, we 
came to a halt under some large trees, at some dis- 
tance from the building, and I rode forward from 
my troop, in order to reconnoitre the place. The 
hacienda, so far as I could see in gliding across, 
formed a huge, massive parallelogram, strengthened 
by enormous buttresses of hewn stone. Along this 
chasm, the walls of the hacienda almost formed the 
continuation of another perpendicular one, chiselled 
by nature herself in the rocks, to the bottom of 
which the eye could not penetrate, for the mists, 
which incessantly boiled up from below, did not 
allow it to measure their awful depth. This place 
was known, in the country, by the name of ' the 
Voladero.' 



26 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

"" I had explored all sides of the building except 
this, when I know not what scruple of military 
honor incited me to continue my ride along the 
ravine which protected the rear of the hacienda. 
Between the walls and the precipice, there was a 
narrow pathway about six feet wide; by day, the 
passage would have been dangerous; but, by night, 
it was a perilous enterprize. The walls of the farm 
took an extensive sweep, the path crept round their 
entire basement, and to follow it to the end, in the 
darkness, only two paces from the edge of a per- 
pendicular chasm, was no very easy task, even for 
as practiced a horseman as myself. Nevertheless, I 
did not hesitate, but boldly urged my horse between 
the walls of the farm-house and the abyss of the 
Voladero. I had got over half the distance without 
accident, when, all of a sudden, my horse neighed 
aloud. This neigh made me shudder. I had just 
reached a pass where the ground was but just wide 
enough for the four legs of a horse, and it was 
impossible to retrace my steps. 

"'Hallo !' I exclaimed aloud, at the risk of be- 
traying myself, which was even less dangerous than 
encountering a horseman in front of me on such a 
road. l There is a christian passing along the ravine ! 
Keep back/ 

" It was too late. At that moment, a man on 



BY LAND AND SEA. 27 

horseback passed round one of the buttresses which 
here and there obstructed this accursed pathway. 
He advanced toward me. I trembled in my saddle; 
my forehead bathed in a cold sweat. 

" 'For the love of God ! can you not return ? ' I 
exclaimed, terrified at the fearful situation in which 
we both were placed. 

"'Impossible! ' replied the horseman. 

" I recommended my soul to God. To turn our 
horses round for want of room, to back them along 
the path we had traversed, or even to dismount 
from them — these w r ere three impossibilities, which 
placed us both in presence of a fearful doom. Be- 
tween two horsemen so placed upon this fearful 
path, had they been father and son, one of them 
must inevitably have become the prey of the ab}^ss. 
But a few seconds had passed, and we were already 
face to face — the unknown and myself. Our horses 
were head to head, and their nostrils, dilated with 
terror, mingled together their fiery breathing. Both 
of us halted in a dead silence. Above w r as the 
smooth and lofty wall of the hacienda ; on the 
other side, but three feet distant from the wall, 
opened the horrible gulf. Was it an enemy I had 
before my eyes? The love of my country, which 
boiled, at that period, in my young bosom, led me 
to hope it was. 



28 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

"'Are you for Mexico and the Insurgents?' I 
exclaimed in a moment of excitement, ready to 
spring upon the unknown horseman, if he answered 
me in the negative. 

"'Mexico e Insure/ ente — that is my password/ 
replied the cavalier. ' I am the Colonel Garduno.' 

" ' I am the Captain Castanos.' 

" Our acquaintance was of long standing ; and, 
but for mutual agitation, we should have had no 
need to exchange our names. The colonel had left 
us two days since, at the head of the detachment, 
which we supposed to be either prisoners, or cut ofi^ 
for he had not been seen to return to the camp. 

ete Well, colonel,' I exclaimed, 51 am sorry you 
are not a Spaniard ; for, you perceive, that one of 
us must yield the pathway to the other. 

" Our horses had the bridle on their necks, and I 
put my hands to the holsters of my saddle to draw 
out my pistols. 

"'I see it so plainly,' returned the colonel, with 
alarming coolness, ' that I should already have blown 
out the brains of your horse, but for the fear lest 
mine, in a moment of terror, should precipitate me 
w r ith yourself, to the bottom of the abyss.' 

"I remarked, in fact, that the colonel ahead} 
held his pistols in his hands. We both maintained 
almost profound silence. Our horses felt the danger 



BY LAND AND SEA. 29 

like ourselves, and remained as immovable as if 
their feet were nailed to the ground. My excite- 
ment had entirely subsided. * What are we going 
to do ? ' I demanded of the colonel. 

" 'Draw lots which of the two shall leap into the 
ravine.' 

"It was, in truth, the sole means of resolving the 
difficulty. ' There are, nevertheless, some precau- 
tions to take,' said the Colonel. 

" i He who shall be condemned by the lot, shall 
retire backward. It will be but a feeble chance of 
escape for him, I admit ; but, in short, there is a 
chance, and especially one in favor of the winner.' 

"'You cling not to life, then?' \ cried out, 
terrified at the sang-froid with which this propo- 
sition was put to me. 

" ' I cling to life more than yourself,' sharply 
replied the colonel, 'for I have a mortal outrage to 
avenge. But the time is fast slipping away. Are 
you ready to proceed to draw the last lottery at 
which one of us will ever exist ? " 

" How were we to proceed to this drawing by 
lot ? By means of the wet finger, like infants ; or 
by head and tail, like the school boys ? Both 
ways were impracticable. Our hands imprudently 
stretched out over the heads of our frightened 
horses, might cause them to give a fatal start. 



30 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Should we toss up a piece of coin, the night was 
too dark to enable us to distinguish which side fell 
upward. The colonel bethought him of an expe- 
dient, of which I never should have dreamed. 

"'Listen to me, captain,' said the colonel, to 
whom I had communicated my perplexities. ' I 
have another way. The terror which our horses 
feel, makes them draw every moment a burning 
breath. The first of us two whose horse shall 
neigh, — ■ 

" ' Wins ! ' I exclaimed, hastily. 

" ' Not so ; shall be looser. I know that you are 
a countryman, and, as such, you can do whatever 
you please with your horse. As to myself, who, but 
last year, wore a gown of a theological student, 
I fear your equestrian prowess. You may be able 
to make your horse neigh : to hinder him from doing 
so, is a very different matter.' 

" We waited in deep and anxious silence until 
the voice of one of our horses should break forth. 
The silence lasted for a minute — for an age ! It 
was my horse who neighed the first. The colonel 
gave no external manifestation of his joy; but, no 
doubt, he thanked God to the very bottom of his 
heart. 

"'You will allow me a minute to make my peace 
with heaven?' I said, with fallina: voice. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 81 

" i Will five minutes be sufficient ? ' 

"'It will,' I replied. 

" The colonel pulled out his watch. I addressed 
toward the heavens, brilliant with stars, which I 
thought I was looking to for the last time, an 
intense and burning prayer. 

" ' It is time,' said the colonel. 

" I answered nothing, and, with a firm hand, 
gathered up the bridle of my horse, and drew it 
within my fingers, which were agitated by a nerv- 
ous tremor. 

" ' Yet one moment more,' I said to the colonel, 
for I lwive need of all my coolness to carry into 
execution the fearful manceuver which I am about 
to commence. 

" ' Granted,' replied Garduno. 

" My education, as I have told you, had been in 
the country. My childhood, and part of my ear- 
liest youth, had almost been passed on horseback. 
I may say, without flattering myself, that if there 
was any one in the world capable of executing this 
equestrian feat, it was myself. I rallied myself 
with an almost supernatural effort, and succeeded 
in recovering my entire self-possession, in the very 
face of death. Taking it at the worst, I had 
already braved it too often to be any longer alarmed 
at it. From that instant, I dared to hope afresh. 



32 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

"As soon as my horse felt, for the first time since 
my rencounter with the colonel, the bit compressing 
his mouth, I perceived that he trembled beneath 
me. I strengthened myself firmly on my stirrups, 
to make the terrified animal understand that his 
master no longer trembled. I held him up with 
bridle and the hams, as every good horseman does 
in a dangerous passage, and, with the bridle, the 
body, and the spur, together, succeeded in backing 
him a few paces. His head was already a greater 
distance from that of the horse of the colonel, who 
encouraged me all he could with his voice. This 
done, I let the poor, trembling brute, who obeyed 
me in spite of his terror, repose for a few moments, 
and then recommenced the same manoeuver. All 
on a sudden, I felt his hind legs give way under 
me. A horrible shudder ran through my whole 
frame. I closed my eyes, as if about to roll to the 
bottom of the abyss, and I gave to my body a vio- 
lent impulse on the side next to the hacienda, the 
surface of which offered not a single projection, not 
a tuft of weeds to check my descent. This sudden 
movement joined to the desperate struggles of my 
horse, was the salvation of my life. He had sprung 
up again on his legs, which seemed ready to foil 
from under him, so desperately did I feel them 
tremble. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 33 

" I had succeeded in reaching between the brink 
of the precipice and the wall of the building, a spot 
some few inches broader. A few more would have 
enabled me to turn him round ; but to attempt it 
here would have been fatal, and I dared not venture. 
I sought to resume my backward progress, step by 
step. Twice the horse threw himself on his hind 
legs, and fell down upon the same spot. It was in 
vain to urge him anew, either with voice, bridle, or 
spur; the animal obstinately refused to take a sin- 
gle step in the rear. Nevertheless, I did not feel 
my courage yet exhausted, for I had no desire to 
die. One last, solitary chance of safety, suddenly 
appeared to me, like a flash of light, and I resolved 
to employ it. Through the fastening of my boot, 
and in reach of my hand, was placed a sharp and 
keen knife, which I drew forth from its sheath. 
With my left hand I began caressing the mane of 
my horse, all the while letting him hear my voice. 
The poor animal replied to my caresses by a plain- 
tive neighing ; then, not to alarm him abruptly, my 
hand followed, by little and little, the curve of his 
nervous neck, and finally rested upon the spot 
where the last of the vertebra unites itself with the 
cranium. The horse trembled ; but I calmed him 
with my voice. When I felt his very life, so to 
speak, palpitate in his brain beneath my fingers, and 



34 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

leaned over toward the wall, my feet gently slid 
from the stirrups, and, with one vigorous blow, I 
buried the pointed blade of my knife in the seat of 
the vital principle. The animal fell as if thunder- 
struck, without a single motion ; and, for myself, 
with my knees almost as high as my chin, I found 
myself a horseback across a corpse ! I was saved ! 
I uttered a triumphant cry, which was responded to 
by the colonel, and which the abyss re-echoed with 
a hollow sound, as if it felt that its prey had 
escaped from it. I quitted the saddle, sat down 
between the wall and the body of my horse, and 
vigorously pushed with my feet against the carcass 
of the wretched animal, which rolled down into the 
abyss. I then arose, and cleared, at a few bounds, 
the distance which separated the place where I was 
from the plain; and, under the irresistible reaction 
of the terror which I had long repressed, I sank 
into a swoon upon the ground. When I reopened 
my eyes, the colonel was by my side." 



BY LAND AND SEA. 35 



A SKETCH 

FROM "LIFE ON THE OCEAN." 

Cartiiagena lies in the parallel of ten degrees 
twenty-six minutes north, and seventy-five degrees 
thirty-eight minutes west longitude ; the harbor is 
good, with an easy entrance ; the city is strongly for- 
tified by extensive and commanding fortifications and 
batteries, and, I should suppose, if well garrisoned 
and manned, they would be perfectly able to repel 
any force which might be brought to bear against 
them. It was well known, at this time, that all 
the provinces of Spain had shaken off their alle- 
giance to the mother country, aud declared them- 
selves independent. Carthagena, the most promi- 
nent of the provinces, was a place of considerable 
commerce ; and, about this time, a few men-of-war, 
and a number of privateers, were fitted out there. 
The Carthagenian flag now presented a chance of 
gain to the cupidity of the avaricious and desperate, 
among whom was our commander, Captain S. As 
soon, therefore, as we had filled up our water, &c, 
a proposition was made by him, to the second lieu- 
tenant and myself, to cruise under both flags, the 



36 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

American and Cartnagenian,'and this to be kept a 
profound secret from the crew, until we had sailed 
from port. Of course, we rejected the proposition 
with disdain, and told him the consequence of such 
a measure, in the event of being taken by a man- 
of-war of any nation, — that it was piracy, to all 
intents and purposes, according to the law of na- 
tions. We refused to go out in the privateer, if he 
persisted in this most nefarious act, and we heard 
no more of it while we lay in port. 

In a few days we were ready for sea, and sailed 
in company with our companion, her force being 
rather more than ours, but the vessel very inferior, 
in point of sailing. While together, we captured 
several small British schooners, the cargoes of 
which, together with some specie, were divided 
between two privateers. Into one of the prizes we 
put all the prisoners, gave them plenty of water 
and provisions, and let them pursue their course : 
the remainder of the prizes were burned. We 
then parted company, and, being short of water, 
ran in toward the land, in order to ascertain if any 
could be procured. In approaching the shore, the 
wind died away to a perfect calm ; and, at 4 p. m., 
a small schooner was seen in-shore of us. As we 
had not steerage way upon our craft, of course it 
would be impossible to ascertain her character 



BY LAND AND SEA. 37 

before dark ; it was, therefore, determined by our 
commander to board her with the boats, under 
cover of the night. This was a dangerous service ; 
but there was no backing out. Volunteers being 
called for, I stepped forward ; and very soon, a suf- 
ficient number of men to man two boats offered 
their services to back me. Every disposition was 
made for the attack. The men were strongly armed, 
oars muffled, and a grappling placed in each boat. 
The bearings of the strange sail were taken, and 
night came on perfectly clear and cloudless. I took 
command of the expedition, the second lieutenant 
having charge of one boat. The arrangement was 
to keep close together, until we got sight of the 
vessel ; the second lieutenant was to board on the 
bow, and I on the quarter. We proceeded in the 
most profound silence ; nothing was heard, save 
now and then a slight splash of the oars in the 
water, and, before we obtained sight of the vessel, 
I had sufficient time to reflect on this most perilous 
enterprise. 

My reflections were not of the most pleasant char- 
acter, and I found myself inwardly shrinking, when 
I was aroused by the voice of the bowman saying, 
" There she is, sir, two points on the starboard bow." 
There she lay, sure enough, with every sail hoisted, 
and alight was plainly seen, as we supposed, from her 



38 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

deck, it being too high for her cabin windows. We 
now held a consultation, and saw no good reason 
to change the disposition of the attack, except 
thatrwe agreed to board simultaneously. It may- 
be well to observe here, that any number of men 
on a vessel's deck, in the night, have double the 
advantage to repel boarders, because they may 
secrete themselves in such a position as to fall 
upon an enemy unawares, and thereby cut them 
off, with little difficulty. Being fully aware of 
this, I ordered the men, as soon as we had gained 
the deck of the schooner, to proceed with great 
caution, and keep close together, till every hazard 
of the enterprize was ascertained. The boats now 
separated, and pulled for their respective stations, 
observing the most profound silence. When we 
had reached within a few yards of the schooner, 
we lay upon our oars for some moments ; but could 
neither hear nor see any thing. We then pulled 
away cheerily, and the next minute were under her 
counter, and grappled to her; every man leaped 
on the deck without opposition. The other boat 
boarded nearly at the same moment, and we pro- 
ceeded, in a body, with great caution, to examine 
the decks. A large fire was in the caboose, and 
we soon ascertained that her deck was entirely 
deserted, and that she neither had any boat on deck 




BY LAND AND SEA. 39 

nor to her stern. We then proceeded to examine 
the cabin, leaving an armed force on deck. The 
cabin, like the deck, being deserted, the mystery 
was easily unraveled. Probably concluding that 
we should board them under cover of the night, 
they, no doubt, as soon as it was dark, took to 
their boats, and deserted the vessel. On the floor 
of the cabin was a part of an English ensign, and 
some papers, which showed that she belonged to 
Jamaica. The little cargo on board consisted of 
Jamaica rum, sugar, fruit, &c. 

The breeze now springing up, and the privateer 
showing lights, we were enabled to get alongside of 
her in a couple of hours. A prize-master and crew 
were put on board, with orders to keep company. 
During the night, we ran along shore, and, in the 
morning, took on board the privateer the greater 
part of the prize's cargo. 

Being close in shore in the afternoon, we descried 
a settlement of huts ; and, supposing that water 
might be obtained there, the two vessels were run 
in, and anchored about two miles distant from the 
beach. A proposition was made to me, by Captain 
S., to get the water-casks on board the prize 
schooner, and, as she drew a light draught of 
water, I was to run her in, and anchor her near the 
beach, taking with me the two boats and twenty 



40 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

men. I observed to Captain S. that this was prob- 
ably an Indian settlement, and it was well known 
that all the Indian tribes on the coast of Rio de 
La Hache were exceedingly ferocious, and said to 
be cannibals ; and it was also well known, that 
whosoever fell into their hands, never escaped with 
their lives ; so that it was necessary, before any 
attempt was made to land, that some of the Indians 
should be decoyed on board, and detained as host- 
ages for our safety. At the conclusion of this state- 
ment, a very illiberal allusion was thrown out by 
Captain S., and some doubts expressed in refer- 
ence to my courage ; he remarking, that if I was 
afraid to undertake the expedition, he would go 
himself. This was enough for me ; I immediately 
resolved to proceed, if I sacrificed my life in the 
attempt. The next morning, twenty water-casks 
were put on board the prize, together with the two 
boats and twenty men, well armed with muskets, 
pistols, and cutlasses, with a supply of ammunition ; 
I repaired on board, got the prize under way, ran 
jn, and anchored about one hundred yards from the 
beach. The boats were got in readiness, and the 
men were well armed, and the water casks slung, 
ready to proceed on shore. I had examined my 
own pistols narrowly, that morning, and had put 
them in complete order, and, as I believed, had 



BY LAND AND SEA. 41 

taken every precaution for our future operations, so 
as to prevent surprise. 

There were about a dozen ill-constructed huts, or 
wigwams ; but no spot of grass, or shrub, was visi- 
ble to the eye, with the exception of, here and 
there, the trunk of an old tree. One solitary Indian 
was seen stalking on the beach, and the whole 
scene presented the most wild and savage appear- 
ance, and, to my mind, argued very unfavorably. 
We pulled in with the casks in tow, seven men 
being in each boat; when within a short distance 
of the beach, the boat's heads were put to seaward, 
when the Indian came abreast of us. Addressing 
him in Spanish, I inquired if water could be pro- 
cured, to which he replied in the affirmative. I 
then displayed to his view some gewgaws and 
trinkets, at which he appeared perfectly delighted, 
and, with many signs and gestures, invited me on 
shore. Thrusting my pistols into my belt, and 
buckling on my cartridge-box, I gave orders to the 
boats' crew, that, in case they discovered any thing 
like treachery or surprise, after I had gotten on 
shore, to cut the water-casks adrift, and make the 
best of their way on board the prize. As soon as 
I had jumped on shore, I inquired if there were any 
live stock, such as fowls, &c, to be had. Pointing 
to a hut about thirty yards from the boats, he said 



42 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

that the stock was there, and invited me to go and 
see it. I hesitated, suspecting some treachery ; 
however, after repeating my order to the boats' 
crews, I proceeded with the Indian, and when 
within about half a dozen yards of the hut, at a 
preconcerted signal, (as I supposed,) as if by magic, 
at least one hundred Indians rushed out, with the 
rapidity of thought. I was knocked down, stripped 
of all my clothing except an inside flannel shirt, 
tied hand and foot, and then taken and secured to 
the trunk of a large tree, surrounded by about 
twenty squaw r s, as a guard, who, with the exception 
of two or three, bore a most wild and hideous look 
in their appearance. The capture of the boat's 
crews was simultaneous with my own, they being 
so much surprised and confounded at the stratagem 
of the Indians, that they had not the power, or 
presence of mind, to pull off. 

After they had secured our men, a number of 
them jumped into the boats, pulled off, and cap- 
tured the prize, without meeting with any resist- 
ance from those on board, they being only six in 
number. Her cable was then cut, and she was run 
on the beach, when they proceeded to dismantle 
her, by cutting the sails from the bolt-ropes, and 
taking out what little cargo there was, consisting of 
Jamaica rum, sugar, &c. This being done, they 



BY LAND AND 6EA. 43 

led ropea on shore, when about one hundred of 
them hauled her up nearly high and dry. 

By this time the privateer had seen our disaster, 
stood boldly in, and anchored within less than gun- 
shot of the beach ; they then very foolishly opened 
a brisk cannonade ; but every shot was spent in 
vain. This exasperated the Indians, and particu- 
larly the one who had taken possession of my pis- 
tols. Casting my eye round, I saw him creeping 
toward me with one pistol presented, and when 
about five yards off, he pulled the trigger. But as 
Providence had, no doubt, ordered it, the pistol 
snapped ; at the same moment, a shot from the 
privateer fell a few yards from us, when the Indian 
rose upon his feet, cocked the pistol, and fired it at 
the privateer ; turning round w 7 ith a most savage 
yell, he threw the pistol with great violence, which 
grazed my head, and then, with a large stick, beat 
and cut me until I was perfectly senseless. This 
w T as about ten o'clock, and I did not recover my 
consciousness until, as I supposed, about four o'clock 
in the afternoon. I perceived there were four 
squaws around me, one of whom, from her appear- 
ance, — having on many gewgaws and trinkets, — 
was the wife of a chief. As soon as she discovered 
signs of returning consciousness, she presented me 
with a gourd, the contents of which appeared to be 



44 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Indian meal mixed with water ; she first drank, and 
then gave it to me, and I can safely aver that I 
never drank any beverage, before or since, which 
produced such relief. 

Night was now coming on ; the privateer had got 
under weigh, and was standing off-and-on, with a 
flag of truce flying at her mast-head. The treach- 
erous Indian with whom I had first conversed came, 
and with a malignant smile, gave me the dreadful 
intelligence that, at twelve o'clock that night, we 
were to be roasted and eaten. 

Accordingly, at sunset, I was unloosed and con- 
ducted, by a band of about half a dozen savages, to 
the spot, where I found the remainder of our men 
firmly secured, by having their hands tied behind 
them, their legs lashed together, and each man 
fastened to a stake that had been driven into the 
ground for that purpose. There was no possibility 
to elude the vigilance of these miscreants. As soon 
as night shut in, a large quantity of brushwood was 
piled around us, and nothing now was wanting but 
the fire to complete this horrible tragedy. The 
The same malicious savage approached us once 
more, and, with the deepest malignity, taunted us 
with our coming fate. Having some knowledge of 
the Indian character, I summoned up all the forti- 
tude of which I was capable, and, in terms of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 45 

defiance, told him, that twenty Indians would be 
sacrificed for each one of us sacrificed by him. I 
knew very well that it would not do to exhibit any 
signs of fear or cowardice ; and, having heard much 
of the cupidity of the Indian character, I offered 
the savage a large ransom if he would use his influ- 
ence to procure our release. Here the conversation 
was abruptly broken off by a most hideous yell 
from the whole tribe, occasioned by their having 
taken large draughts of the rum, which now began 
to operate very sensibly upon them ; and, as it 
will be seen, operated very much to our advan- 
tage. This thirst for rum caused them to relax 
their vigilance, and we w T ere left alone to pursue 
our reflections, which were not of the most envia- 
ble or pleasant character. A thousand melancholy 
thoughts rushed over my mind. Here I was, and, 
in all probability, in a few hours I should be in 
eternity, and my death one of the most horrible 
description. " Oh ! " thought I, u how many were 
the entreaties and arguments used by my friends 
to deter me from pursuing an avocation so full 
of hazard and peril ! If I had taken their advice, 
and acceded to their solicitations, in all probability 
I should, at this time, have been in the enjo}'- 
ment of much happiness." I*Pras aroused from 
this reverie by the most direful screams from the 



46 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

united voices of the whole tribe, they having drunk 
largely of the rum, and become so much intoxicated 
that a general fight ensued. Many of them lay 
stretched on the ground, with tomahawks deeply 
implanted in their skulls : and many others, as the 
common phrase is, were " dead drunk." This was 
an exceedingly fortunate circumstance for us. With 
their senses benumbed, of course they had forgotten 
their avowal to roast us, or, it may be, the Indian 
to whom I proposed ransom had conferred with the 
others, and they, no doubt, agreed to spare oui 
lives until the morning. It was a night, however, 
of pain and terror, as well as of the most anxious 
suspense ; and when the morning dawn broke upon 
my vision, I felt an indescribable emotion of grati- 
tude, as I had fully made up my mind, the night 
previous, that long before this time I should have 
been sleeping the sleep of death. It was a pitiable 
sight, when the morning light appeared, to see 
twenty human beings stripped naked, with then- 
bodies cut and lacerated, and the blood issuing from 
their wounds ; with their hands and feet tied, and 
their bodies fastened, to stakes, with brushwood 
piled around them, expecting every moment to be 
their last. My feelings, on this occasion, can be 
better imagined than described; suffice it to say, 
that I had given up all hopes of escape, and 




BY LAND AND SEA. 47 

gloomily resigned myself to death. When the 
fumes of the liquor had in some degree worn off 
from the benumbed senses of the savages, they 
arose and approached us, and, for the first time, the 
wily Indian informed me that the tribe had agreed 
to ransom ns. They then cast off the lashings 
from our bodies and feet, and, with our hands still 
secure, drove us before them to the beach. Then 
another difficulty arose \ the privateer was out of 
sight, and the Indians became furious. To satiate 
their hellish malice, they obliged us to run on the 
beach, while they let fly their poisoned arrows after 
us. For my own part, my limbs were so benumbed 
that I could scarcely walk, and I firmly resolved to 
stand still and take the worst of it — which was the 
best plan I could have adopted ; for, when they per- 
ceived that I exhibited no signs of fear, not a single 
arrow was discharged at me. Fortunately, before 
they grew weary of this sport, to my great joy, the 
privateer hove in sight. She stood boldly in, with 
the flag of truce flying, and the savages consented 
to let one man of their own choosing go off in the 
boat to procure the stipulated ransom. The boat 
returned loaded with articles of various descriptions, 
and two of our men were released. The boat 
kept plying to and from the privateer, bringing 
such articles as they demanded, until all w r ere 



48 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

released except myself. Here it may be proper to 
observe, that the mulatto man, who had been selected 
by the Indians, performed all this duty himself, not 
one of the privateer's crew daring to hazard their 
lives with him in the boat. I then was left alone, 
and for my release they required a double ransom. 
I began now seriously to think that they intended 
to detain me altogether. My mulatto friend, how- 
ever, pledged himself that he would never leave me. 
Again, for the last time, he sculled the boat off. 
She quickly returned, with a larger amount of 
articles than previously. It was a moment of the 
deepest anxiety, for there had now arrived from the 
interior another tribe, apparently superior in point 
of numbers, and elated with the booty which had 
been obtained. They demanded a share, and ex- 
pressed a determination to detain me for a larger 
ransom. These demands were refused, and a con- 
flict ensued of the most frightful and terrific char- 
acter. Tomahawks, knives, and arrows, were used 
indiscriminately, and many an Indian fell in that 
bloody contest. The tomahawks were thrown with 
the swiftness of arrows, and were generally buried 
in the skull or the breast ; and whenever two came 
in contact, with the famous " Indian hug," the strife 
was soon over with either one or the other, by 
one plunging the deadly knife up to the hilt in the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 49 

body of his opponent ; nor were the poisoned arrows 
of less swift execution, for, wherever they struck, 
the wretched victim was quickly in eternity. I 
shall never forget the frightful barbarity of that 
hour ; although years have elapsed since its occur- 
rence, still the whole scene in imagination is before 
me, the savage yell of the warwhoop, and the direful 
screams of the squaws, still ring afresh in my ears. 
In the height of this conflict, a tall Indian chief, 
who, I knew, belonged to the same tribe with the 
young squaw who gave me the drink, came down 
to the beach where I was. The boat had been dis- 
charged, and w r as lying with her head off. At a 
signal given by the squaw to the chief, he caught 
me up in his arms, with as much ease as if I had 
been a child, waded to the boat, threw me in, and 
then, with a most expressive gesture, urged us off. 
Fortunately, there were two oars in the boat, and, 
feeble as I was, I threw all the remaining strength 
I had to the oar. It was the last effort, as life or 
death hung upon the next fifteen minutes. Disap- 
pointed of a share of the booty, the savages were 
frantic with rage, especially when they saw I had 
eluded their grasp. Rushing to the beach, about a 
dozen threw themselves into the other boat, which 
had been captured, and pulled after us ; but, for- 

tunatelv, in their hurry, they had forgotten the 
3 



50 THK1LLING ADVENTURES 

muskets, and being unacquainted with the method 
of rowing, of course they made but little progress, 
which enabled us to increase our distance. 

The privateer having narrowly watched all these 
movements, and seeing our imminent danger, stood 
boldly on toward the beach,, and in the next five 
minutes she lay between us and the Indians, dis- 
charging a heavy fire of musketry among them. 
Such was the high excitement of my feelings, that 
I scarcely recollected how I gained the privateer's 
deck. But I was saved, nevertheless, though I 
was weak with the loss of blood, and savage treat- 
ment, — my limbs benumbed, and body scorched 
with the piercing rays of the sun, — the whole 
scene rushing through my mind with the celerity 
of electricity ! It unmanned and quite overpowered 
me ; I fainted, and fell senseless on the deck. 

The usual restoratives and care were adminis- 
tered, and I soon recovered from the effects of my 
capture. Some of the others were not so fortunate ; 
two of them, especially, were cut in a shocking 
manner, and the others were so dreadfully beaten 
and mangled by clubs, that the greatest care was 
necessaiy to save their lives. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 51 



ESCAPE FROM SHIPWRECK. 

FROM "LIFE ON THE OCEAN." 

Received orders this day to proceed to London 
with the ship ; and, as the easterly gale abated, and 
the wind hauled round southward and westward, 
we got under way, stood out of Falmouth harbor, 
and proceeded up the British Channel. At sunset, 
it commenced to rain, and the weather was thick 
and cloudy. The different lights were seen as far 
as the Bill of Portland. At midnight, lost sight of 
the land, and it blew a gale from off the French 
coast : close reefed the topsails, and steered a course 
so as to keep in mid-channel. At daybreak, the 
ship was judged to be off Beachy Head ; the 
weather being so thick, the land could not be seen. 
The fore and mizzen-topsails were now furled, and 
the ship hove to. The rain began now to fall in 
torrents, and the heavy, dense, black clouds rose, 
with fearful rapidity, from the northward, over the 
English coast, when suddenly the wind shifted from 
the south-west to the north, and blew a hurricane. 
The mist and fog cleared away, and, to our utter 
astonishment, we found ourselves on a lee shore, on 



DZ TIIllILLING ADVENTURES 

the coast of France, off Boulogne heights. The 
gale was so violent, that no more sail could he 
made. The ship was so exceedingly crank, that 
when she luffed up on a wind, her bulwarks were 
under water. As she would not stay, the only 
alternative was, to wear ; of course, with this evo- 
lution, we lost ground, and, consequently, were 
driven nearer, every moment, toward the awful 
strand of rocks. The scene was now terrific ; many 
vessels were in sight, two of which we saw dashed 
on the rocks; with the tremendous roar of the 
breakers, and the howling of the tempest, and the 
heavy sea, which broke as high as the fore-yard, 
death appeared inevitable. There was only one 
hope left, and that was, that, should the tide change 
and take us under our lee-beam, it might possibly 
set us off on the Nine-fathom bank, which is situated 
at a distance of twelve miles north-north-west, off 
Boulogne harbor. On the event of reaching this 
bank, the safety of the ship and lives of the crew 
depended, — as it was determined there to try the 
anchors, for there was no possibility of keeping off 
shore more than two hours, if the gale continued. 

We w T ere now on the larboard tack, and, for the 
last half hour, it was perceived that the tide had 
turned, and was setting to the northward ; this was 
our last and only chance, for the rocks were not 



BY LAND AND SEA. bO 

more than half a mile under our lee, and as it was 
necessary to get the ship's head round on the star- 
board tack, which could only be done by wearing, 
it was certain that much ground would be lost by 
that evolution. The anchors were got ready, long 
ranges of cables were hauled on deck, and the ends 
were clinched to the mainmast below; this being 
done, the axes were at hand to cut away the 
masts. 

Captain G. was an old, experienced seaman ; and 
and I never saw, before or since, more coolness, 
judgment, and seamanship, than were displayed by 
him on this trying occasion. In this perilous trial, 
the most intense anxiety was manifested by the 
crew, and then was heard the deep-toned voice of 
Captain G., rising above the bellowing storm, com- 
manding silence. " Take the wheel," said he to me ; 
and then followed the orders, in quick succession : 
* Lay aft, and man the braces — see every thing 
clear forward, to wear ship — steady — case her — 
shiver away the maintopsail — put your helm 
up — haul in the weather fore-braces, — gather in 
the after-yards." The ship was now running before 
the wind, for a few moments, directly for the rocks ; 
the situation and scene were truly awful, for she 
was not more than three hundred yards from the 
breakers. I turned my head aside — being at the 



56 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

helm — to avoid the terrific sight, and silently 
awaited the crisis. I was roused, at this moment, 
by Captain G., who shouted, " She luffs, my hoys ! 
brace the main-yard sharp up — haul in the lar- 
board fore-braces — down with the fore-tack, lads, 
and haul aft the sheet ; — right the helm ! steady, 
so — haul taut the weather-braces, and belay all." 
These orders were given and executed in quick suc- 
cession. The ship was now on the starboard tack, 
plunging bows under at every pitch. Casting a 
fitful glance over my shoulder, I saw that we were 
apparently to leeward of the rocks. Very soon, 
however, it was quite perceptible that the tide had 
taken her on the lee beam, and was setting her off 
shore. 

The gloom began now to wear away, although it 
was doubtful whether we should be able to reach 
the bank, and, if successful, whether the anchors 
would hold on. Orders were given to lay aloft and 
send down the top-gallant-yards, masts, &c. The 
helm was relieved, and I sprung into the main 
rigging, the chief mate going up forward. With 
much difficulty, I reached the main-topmast cross- 
trees, and, when there, it was almost impossible 
to work, for the ship lay over at an angle of at 
least forty-five degrees, and I found myself swing- 
ing, not perpendicularly over the ship's deck, but 



BY LAND AND SEA. 57 

at least thirty feet from it. It was no time, how- 
ever, for gazing. The yard rope was stoppered 
out on the quarter of the yard, the sheets, clew- 
lines, and buntlines, cast off, and the shift slack- 
ened, and then simultaneously from both mast-heads 
the cry was heard, " Sway, away ! " The parrel 
cut, the yard was quickly topped and unrigged, 
and then lowered away on deck. The next duty 
to be performed, was sending down the top-gallant 
masts. After much difficulty and hard work, this 
was also accomplished ; and, although I felt some 
pride in the performance of a dangerous service, 
yet, on this occasion, I was not a little pleased 
when I reached the deck in safety. 

By this time, we had gained four miles off shore, 
and it was evident that the soundings indicated 
our approach to the bank. Tackles were rove and 
stretched along forward of the windlass, as well 
as deck-stoppers hooked on to the ringbolts fore 
and aft. " Loose the fore-topsail ! " shouted Cap- 
tain G., " we must reach this bank before the tide 
turns, or, by morning, there will not be left a 
timber head of this ship, nor one of us, to tell 
the sad tale of our disaster." The topsail was 
loosed and set, and the ship groaned heavily under 
the immense pressure of canvass ; her lee rail was 

under water, and every moment it was expected 
3* 



58 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

that the topmast or the canvass would yield. The 
deep-sea-lead was taken forward and hove : when 
the line reached the after-part of the main chan- 
nels, the seaman's voice rose high in the air, " By 
the deep, nine ! " It was three o'clock. " Clew 
up and furl the fore-topsail ! " shouted Captain G. 
The topsail furled of itself, for the moment the 
weather sheet was started, it blew away from the 
bolt-rope ; the foresail was immediately hauled up 
and furled. Relieved from the great pressure of 
canvass, and having now nothing on her except 
the main-topsail and fore-topmast-staysail, she rode 
more upright. The main-topsail was clewed up 
and fortunately saved, the mizzen-staysail was set. 
" Stand by, to cut away the stoppers of the best 
bower anchor — to let it go, stock and fluke," said 
Captain G. " Man the fore-topmast-staysail down- 
haul ; put your helm down ! haul down the stay- 
sail." This was done, and the ship came up 
handsomely, head to wind, " See the cable tiers 
all clear — what water is there ? " said Captain G. 
The leadsman sang out in a clear voice, "And a 
half-eight ! " By this time, the ship had lost her 
way. "Are you all clear forward there ? " "Ay, 
ay, sir ! " was the reply. " Stream the buoy, and 
let go the anchor ! " shouted Captain G. The order 
was executed as rapidly as it was given ; the anchor 






BY LAND AND SEA. 59 

was on the bottom, and already had fifty fathoms 
of cable ran out, making the windlass smoke ; and, 
although the cable was weather-bitted, and every 
effort was made with the deck-stoppers and tackles 
to check her, all was fruitless. Ninety fathoms of 
cable had run out. " Stand by, to let go the lar- 
board anchor," said Captain Gf.; " Cheerily, men — 
let go ! " In the same breath he shouted, " Hold 
on ! " for just then there was a lull, and having run 
out the best bower-cable, nearly to the better end, 
she brought up. No time was now lost in getting 
service on the cable, to prevent its chafing. She 
was now riding to a single anchor of two thousand 
weight, with one hundred fathoms of a seventeen- 
inch hemp cable. The sea rolled heavily, and broke 
in upon the deck fore and aft; the lower yards 
were got down ; the topsail-yards pointed to the 
wind ; and as the tide had now turned, the ship 
rode without any strain on her cable, because it 
tended broad on the beam. 

The next morning presented a dismal scene, for 
there were more than fifty sail in-shore of us, some 
of whom succeeded in reaching the bank, and an- 
chored with loss of sails, topmasts, &c. Many 
others were dashed upon the rocks, and not a soul 
was left to tell the tale of their destruction. I 
shall not forget that, on the second day, a Dutch 



60 TIIRILLING ADVENTURES 

galliot was driven in to leeward of us ; and although, 
by carrying on a tremendous press of canvass, she 
succeeded in keeping off shore until five p. m., yet, 
at sunset she disappeared, and was seen no more. 
After our arrival in London, we learned that this 
unfortunate vessel was driven on the rocks, and 
every soul on board perished. 

The gale continued four days, at the expiration 
of which time, it broke. At midnight, the wind 
hauled round to the eastward, and the weather 
became so excessively cold, that, although we com- 
menced heaving in the cable at five a. m., yet we 
did not get the anchor until nine that night. Close- 
reefed topsails were set on the ship and we stood 
over to the English coast, and anchored to the west- 
ward of Dungeness. During the whole period of 
this gale, which lasted four days, Captain G. never 
for one moment left the deck ; and although well 
advanced in years, yet his iron constitution enabled 
him to overcome the calls of nature for rest ; and, 
notwithstanding the situation of the ship, was, per- 
haps more critical than many of those less fortunate 
vessels which stranded upon the rocks, yet his cool- 
ness, and the seaman-like manner with which the 
ship was handled, no doubt were the means of our 
being saved. 



BY LAND AND SEA. Cl 



THE HUNTER'S WIFE. 

Thomas Cooper was a fine specimen of the North 
American trapper. Slightly but powerfully made, 
with a hardy, weather-beaten, yet handsome face ; 
strong, indefatigable, and a crack shot — he was 
admirably adapted for a hunter's life. For many 
years he knew not what it was to have a home, but 
lived like the beasts he hunted — wandering from 
one part of the country to another, in pursuit of 
game. All who knew Tom were much surprised 
when he came, with a pretty young wife, to settle 
within three miles of a planter's farm. Many pitied 
the poor young creature, who would have to lead 
such a solitary life j while others said, " If she was 
fool enough to marry him, it was her own look-out." 
For nearly four months Tom remained at home, and 
employed his time in making the old hut he had 
fixed on for their residence more comfortable. He 
cleared and tilled a small spot of land around it, and 
Susan began to hope that, for her sake, he would 
settle down quietly as a squatter. But these vis- 
ions of happiness were soon dispelled, for, as soon as 



62 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



this work was finished, he recommenced his old 
erratic mode of life, and was often absent for weeks 
together, leaving his wife alone, yet not unprotected, 
for, since his marriage, old Nero, a favorite hound, 
was always left at home as her guardian. He was 
a noble dog — a cross between the old Scottish 
deerhound and the bloodhound, and would hunt an 
Indian as well as a deer or bear, which, Tom said, 
" was a proof they Injins was a sort o' warmint, 
or why should the brute beast take to hunt 'em, 
nat'ral like — him that took no notice of white 
men ? " 

One clear, cold morning, about two years after 
their marriage, Susan was awakened by a loud 
crash, immediately succeeded by Nero's deep bay- 
ing. She recollected that she had shut him in the 
house, as usual, the night before. Supposing he had 
winded some solitary wolf or bear prowling around 
the hut, and effected his escape, she took little 
notice of the circumstance ; but a few moments 
after came a shrill, wild cry, which made her blood 
run cold. To spring from her bed, throw on her 
clothes, and rush from the hut, was the work of a 
minute. She no longer doubted what the hound 
was in pursuit of. Fearful thoughts shot through 
her brain ; she called wildly on Nero, and, to her 
joy, he came dashing through the thick underwood. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 63 

As the dog drew near, she saw that he galloped 
heavily, and carried in his mouth some large, dark 
creature. Her brain reeled ; she felt a cold and 
sickly shudder dart through her limbs. But Susan 
was a hunter's daughter, and, all her life, had been 
accustomed to witness scenes of danger and of hor- 
ror, and in this school had learned to subdue the 
natural timidity of her character. With a powerful 
effort, she recovered herself, just as Nero dropped 
at her feet a little Indian child, apparently between 
three and four years old. She bent down over him ; 
but there was no sound or motion : she placed her 
hand on his little, naked chest ; the heart within 
had ceased to beat : he was dead ! The deep marks 
of the dog's fangs were visible on the neck ; but 
the body was untorn. • Old Nero stood, with his 
large, bright eyes fixed on the face of his mistress, 
fawning on her, as if he expected to be praised for 
what he had done, and seemed to wonder why she 
looked so terrified. But Susan spurned him from 
her ; and the fierce animal, who would have pulled 
down an Indian as he would a deer, crouched hum- 
bly at the young woman's feet, Susan carried the 
little body gently in her arms to the hut, and laid 
it on her own bed. Her first impulse was to seize 
the loaded rifle that hung over the fire-place, and 
shoot the hound ; and yet she felt she could not 



64 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

do it, for, in the lone life she led, the faithful 
animal seemed like a dear and valued friend, who 
loved and watched over her, as if aware of the 
precious charge intrusted to him. She thought, 
also, of what her husband would say, when, on his re- 
turn, he should find his old companion dead. Susan 
had never seen Tom roused. To her he had ever 
shown nothing but kindness ; yet she feared as well 
as loved him, for there was a fire in those dark eyes 
which told of deep, wild passions hidden in his 
breast, and she knew that the lives of a whole tribe 
of Indians would be light in the balance against 
that of his favorite hound. 

Having securely fastened up Nero, Susan, with 
a heavy heart, proceeded to examine the ground 
around the hut. In several places she observed the 
impression of a small moccasined foot ; but not a 
child's. The tracks were deeply marked, unlike the 
usual light, elastic tread of an Indian. From this 
circumstance Susan easily inferred that the woman 
had been carrying her child when attacked by the 
dog. There was nothing to show why she had 
come so near the hut : most probably the hopes 
of some petty plunder had been the inducement. 
Susan did not dare to wander far from home, fear- 
ing a band of Indians mierht be in the neighborhood. 
She returned sorrowfully to the hut, and employed 




BY LAND AND SEA. 65 

herself in blocking up the window, or rather the 
hole where the window had been, for the powerful 
hound had, in his leap, dashed out the entire frame, 
and shattered it to pieces. When this was finished, 
Susan dug a grave, and in it laid the little Indian 
boy. She made it close to the hut, for she could not 
bear that wolves should devour those delicate limbs, 
and she knew that there it would be safe. The 
next day Tom returned. lie had been very unsuc- 
cessful, and intended setting out again, in a few. 
days, in a different direction. 

" Susan," he said, when he had heard her sad 
story, " I wish you 'd left the child where the dog 
killed him. The squaw 's high sartain to come 
back a seekin' for the body, and 't is a pity the poor 
crittur should be disappointed. Besides, the Indians 
will be high sartain to put it down to us ; whereas, 
if so be as they 'd found the body 'pon the spot, 
may be they 'd onderstand as 't was an accident 
like, for they 're unkimmon cunning warmint, though 
they an 't got sense like Christians." 

"Why do you think the poor woman came here?" 
said Susan. " I never knew and Indian squaw so 
near the hut before ? " 

She fancied a dark shadow flitted across her 
husband's brow. He made no reply ; and, on re- 
peating the question, said angrily, " How should I 



66 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

know ? 'T is ag well to ask for a bear's reasons 
as an Injin's." 

Tom only staid at home long enough to mend 
the broken window, and plant a small spot of Indian 
corn, and then again set out, telling Susan not to 
expect him home in less than a month. " If that 
squaw comes this way agin," he said, "as may be 
she will, just put out any victuals you've a-got for 
the poor crittur ; though may be she wont come, for 
they Injins be onkinimon skeary." Susan wondered 
at his taking an interest in the woman, and often 
thought of that dark look she had noticed, and of 
Tom's unwillingness to speak on the subject. She 
never knew that on his last hunting expedition, 
when hiding some skins which he intended to 
fetch on his return, he had observed an Indian 
watching him, and had shot him, with as little 
mercy as he would have shown to a wolf. On 
Tom's return to the spot, the body was gone ; and 
in the soft, damp soil was the mark of an Indian 
squaw's foot; and by its side, a little child's. He 
was sorry then for the deed he had done ; he thought 
of the grief of the poor widow, and how it would 
be possible for her to live until she could reach her 
tribe, who were' far, far distant, at the foot of the 
Rocky Mountains ; and now to feel, that, through 
his means, too, she had lost her child, put thoughts 



BY LAND AND SEA. 67 

into Lis mind that had never before found a place 
there. He thought that one God had formed the 
red man as well as the white — of the souls of 
the many Indians hurried into eternity by his uner- 
ring rifle ; and they, perhaps, were more fitted for 
their "happy hunting grounds," than he for the 
white man's heaven. In this state of mind, every 
word his wife had said to him seemed a reproach, 
and he was glad again to be alone, in the forest, 
with his rifle and his hounds. 

The afternoon of the third day after Tom's de- 
parture, as Susan was sitting at work, she heard 
something scratching and whining at the door. 
Nero, who was by her side, evinced no signs of 
anger, but ran to the door, showing his white teeth, 
as was his custom when pleased. Susan unbarred 
it, when, to her astonishment, the two deerhounds 
her husband had taken with him, walked into the 
hut, looking weary and soiled. At first she thought 
Tom might have killed a deer not far from home, 
and had brought her a fresh supply of venison ; but 
no one was there. She rushed from the hut, and 
soon, breathless and terrified, reached the squatter's 
cabin. John Wilton and his three sons were just 
returned from the clearings, when Susan ran into 
their comfortable kitchen ; her long, black hair, 
streaming on her shoulders, and her wild and 



_ 



68 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

bloodshot eyes, gave her the appearance of a maniac. 
In a few unconnected words, she explained to them 
the cause of her terror, and implored them to set off 
immediately in search of her husband. It was in 
vain they told her of the uselessness of going at 
that time — of the impossibility' of following a trail 
in the dark. She said she would go herself: she 
felt sure of finding him ; and, at last, they were 
obliged to use force to prevent her leaving the 
house. 

The next morning at daybreak, Wilton and his 
two sons were mounted, and ready to set out, in- 
tending to take Nero with them ; but nothing could 
induce him to leave his mistress : he resisted pas- 
sively for some time, until one of the young men 
attempted to pass a rope round his neck, to drag 
him away : then his forbearance vanished, and he 
sprang upon his tormentor, threw him down, and 
would have strangled him, if Susan had not been 
present. Finding it impossible to make Nero ac- 
company them, they left without him, but had not 
proceeded many miles before he and his mistress 
were at their side. They begged Susan to return ; 
told her of the inconvenience she would be to them. 
It was no avail ; she had but one answer, — " I 
am a hunter's daughter, and a hunter's wife." She 
told them that, knowing how 7 useful Nero would be 



BY LAN D AND SEA. G9 

to them iii their search, she had secretly taken a 
horse and followed them. 

The party rode first to Tom Cooper's hut, and 
there, having dismounted, leading their horses 
through the forest, followed the trail, as only men 
long accustomed to savage life can do. At night 
they lay on the ground, covered with their thick, 
bear-skin cloaks : for Susan only, they heaped a 
bed of dried leaves ; but she refused to occupy it, 
saying, it was her duty to bear the same hardships 
they did. Ever since their departure, she had 
shown no sign of sorrow. Although slight and 
delicately formed, she never appeared fatigued : her 
whole soul was absorbed in one longing desire — to 
find her husband's body ; for, from the first, she 
had abandoned the hope of ever again seeing him 
in life. This desire supported her through every- 
thing. Early the next morning they were on the 
trail. About noon, as they were crossing a small 
brook, the hound suddenly dashed away from them, 
and was lost in the thicket. At first they fan- 
cied they might have crossed the track of a deer 
or wolf; but a long, mournful howl soon told the 
sad truth, for, not far from the brook, lay the faith- 
ful dog on the dead body of his master, which was 
pierced to the heart by an Indian arrow. 

The murderer had apparently been afraid to 



70 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

approach on account of the dogs, for the body was 
left as it had fallen — not even the rifle was gone. 
No sign of Indians could be discovered, save one 
small footprint, which was instantly pronounced to 
be that of a squaw. Susan showed no grief at the 
sight of the body : she maintained the same forced 
calmness, and seemed comforted that it was found. 
Old Wilton staid with her to remove all that now 
remained of her darling husband, and his two sons 
set out on the trail, which soon led them into- the 
open prairie, where it was easily traced through the 
tall, thick grass. They continued riding all that 
afternoon, and the next morning by daybreak were 
again on the track, which they followed to the 
banks of a wide but shallow stream. There they 
saw the remains of a fire. One of the brothers 
thrust his hand among the ashes, which were still 
warm. They crossed the river ; and, in the soft 
sand on the opposite bank, saw again the print of 
small, moccasined footsteps. Here they were at a 
loss ; for the rank prairie-grass had been consumed 
by one of those fearful fires so common in the prai- 
ries, and in its stead grew short, sweet herbage, 
where even an Indian's eye could observe no trace. 
They were on the point of abandoning the pursuit, 
when Richard, the younger of the two, called his 
brother's attention to Nero, who had, of his own 



BY LAND AND SEA. 71 

accord, left his mistress to accompany them, as if 
he* now understood what they were about. The 
hound was trotting to and fro, with his nose to the 
ground, as if endeavoring to pick out a cold scent. 
Edward laughed at his brother, and pointed to the 
track of a deer that had come to drink at the river. 
At last he agreed to follow Nero, who was now 
cantering slowly across the prairie. The pace grad- 
ually increased, until, on a spot where the grass had 
grown more luxuriantly than elsewhere, Nero threw 
up his nose, gave a deep bay, and started off at so 
furious a pace, that, although well mounted, they 
had great difficulty in keeping up with him. He 
soon brought them to the borders of another forest, 
where, finding it impossible to take their horses fur- 
ther, they tethered them to a tree, and set off again 
on foot. They lost sight of the hound, but still, 
from time to time, heard his loud baying far away. 
At last they fancied it sounded nearer instead of 
becoming less distinct ; anxl of this they were soon 
convinced. They still went on in the direction 
whence the sound proceeded, until they saw Nero 
sitting with his fore-paws against the trunk of a 
tree, no longer mouthing like a well-trained hound, 
but yelling like a fury. They looked up in the 
tree, but could see nothing, until, at last, Edward 
espied a large hollow about half way up the trunk. 



72 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

"I was right, you see," he said. "After all, it's 
nothing but a bear; but we may as well shoot 
the brute that has given us so much trouble." 

They set to work immediately with their axes 
to fell the tree. It began to totter, when a dark 
object, they could not tell what, in the dim twi- 
light, crawled from its place of concealment to 
the extremity of a branch, and from thence sprung 
into the next tree. Snatching up their rifles, they 
both fired together; when, to their astonishment, 
instead of a bear, a young Indian squaw, with a 
wild yell, fell to the ground. They ran to the 
spot where she lay motionless, and carried her to 
the borders of the wood, where they had that 
morning dismounted. Richard lifted her on his 
horse, and springing himself into the saddle, car- 
ried the almost lifeless body before him. The poor 
creature never spoke. Several times they stopped, 
thinking she was dead : her pulse only told the 
spirit had not flown from its earthly tenement. 
When they reached the river which had been 
crossed by them before, they washed the wounds, 
and sprinkled water on her face. This appeared 
to revive her ; and when Richard again lifted her 
in his arms to place her on his horse, he fancied 
he heard her mutter, in Iroquois, one word, — " re- 
venged ! " It was a strange sight, those two powerful 



BY LAND AND SEA. 73 

men tending so carefully the being they had a few 

hours before sought to slay, and endeavoring to 

stanch the blood that flowed from wounds which 

they had made ! Yet so it was. It would have 

appeared to them a sin to leave the Indian woman 

to die ; yet they felt no remorse at having inflicted 

the wound, and doubtless would have been better 

pleased had it been mortal; but they would not 

have murdered a wounded enemy, even an Indian 

warrior, still less a squaw. The party continued 

their journey until midnight, when they stopped, to 

rest their jaded horses. Having wrapped the squaw 

in their bear-skins, they lay down themselves, with 

no covering save the clothes they wore. The; 

were in no want of provisions, as, 'not knowin. 

when they might return, they had taken a goo< 

supply of bread and dried venison, not wishing t( 

loose any precious time in seeking food while or 

the trail. The brandy still remaining in their flasks 

they preserved, for the use of their captive. Th 

evening of the following day, they reached th 

trapper's hut, where they were not a little surprise 

to find Susan. She told them that, although Johi 

Wilton had begged her to live with them, she coul 

not bear to leave the spot where everything re 

minded her of one to think of whom was now he. 

only consolation ; and that, while she had Nero, she 
1 



74 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



feared nothing. They needed not to tell theii 
mournful tale — Susan already understood it but 
too clearly. She begged them to leave the Indian 
woman with her. " You have no one," said she, 
" to tend and watch her as I can do ; besides, it is 
not right that I should lay such a burden on you." 
Although unwilling to impose on her mind the pain- 
ful task of nursing her husband's murderess, they 
could not allow but that she was right ; and seeing 
how earnestly she desired it, at last consented to 
leave the Indian woman with her. 

For many w r eeks Susan nursed her charge, as 
tenderly as if it had been her sister. At first she 
lay almost motionless, and rarely spoke ; then she 
grew delirious, and raved wildly. Susan fortunately 
could not understand what she said, but often 
turned shuddering away, when the Indian woman 
would strive to rise from her bed, and move her 
arms, as if drawing a bow; or yell wildly, and 
cower in terror beneath the clothes — reacting in her 
delirium the fearful scenes through which she had 
passed. By degrees reason returned ; she gi idu- 
ally got better, but seemed restless and unhappy, 
and could not bear the sight of Nero. The first 
proof of returning reason she had shown, was a 
shriek of terror when he once accidentally followed 
his mistress into the room where she lay. One 



BY LAND AND SEA. 75 

morning Susan missed her ; she searched around 
the hut, but she was gone, without having taken 
farewell of her kind benefactress. 

A few years after, Susan Cooper, — no longer 
" pretty Susan," for time and grief had done their 
work — heard, late one night, a hurried knock, 
which was repeated several times before she could 
open the door, each time more loudly than before. 
She called to ask who it was at that late hour of 
night. A few hurried words in Iroquois was the 
reply, and Susan congratulated herself on having 
spoken before unbarring the door. But, on listening 
again, she distinctly heard the same voice say, 
" Quick — quick ! " and recognized it as the Indian 
woman's voice she had nursed. The door was in- 
stantly opened, when the squaw rushed into the 
hut, seized Susan by the arm, and made signs to 
her to come away. She was too much excited to 
remember then the few words of English she had 
picked up when living with the white woman. 
Expressing her meaning by gestures, with a clear- 
ness peculiar to the Indians, she dragged rather 
than led Susan from the hut. They had just 
reached the edge of the forest when the wild yells 
of the Indians sounded in their ears. Having gone 
with Susan a little way into the forest, her guide 
left her. For nearly four hours she lay there, half 






76 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

dead with cold and terror, not daring to move from 
her place of concealment. She saw the flames of 
the dwelling, where so many lonely hours had been 
passed, rising above the trees, and heard the shrill 
" whoops " of the retiring Indians. Nero, who was 
lying by her side, suddenly rose and gave a low 
growl. Silently a dark figure came gliding among 
the trees directly to the spot where she lay. She 
gave herself up for lost ; but it was the Indian 
woman, who came to her, and dropped at her feet a 
bag of money, the remains of her late husband's 
savings. The grateful creature knew where it was 
kept ; and while the Indians were busied examin- 
ing the rifles and other objects more interesting to 
them, had carried it off unobserved. Waving her 
arm around to show that all was now quiet, she 
pointed in the direction of Wilton's house, and was 
again lost among the trees. 

Day was just breaking when Susan reached the 
squatter's cabin. Having heard the sad story, Wil- 
ton and two of his sons started immediately for the 
spot. Nothing was to be seen save a heap of ashes. 
The party had apparently consisted of only three or 
four Indians; but a powerful tribe being in the 
neighborhood, they saw it would be too hazardous 
to follow them. From this time, Susan lived with 
the Wiltons. She was as a daughter to the old 



BY LAND AND SEA. 77 

man, and a sister to his sons, who often said> 
" That, as far as they were concerned, the Indians 
had never done a kindlier action than in burning 
down Susan Cooper's hut." 



DEAF SMITH, 

TIIE CELEBRATED TEXAN SPY. 

About two years after the Texan revolution, a 
difficulty occurred between the new government and 
a portion of the people, which threatened the most 
serious consequences — even the bloodshed and hor- 
rors of civil war. Briefly, the cause was this : The 
constitution had fixed the city of Austin as the 
permanent capital, where the public archives were 
to be kept, with the reservation, however, of a 
power in the president to order their temporary 
removal, in case of danger from the inroads of a for- 
eign enemy, or the force of a sudden insurrection. 

Conceiving that the exceptional emergency had 
arrived, as the Camanches frequently committed 
ravages within sight of the capital itself, Houston, 



78 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

who then resided at Washington, on the Brazos, 
dispatched an order commanding his subordinate 
functionaries to send the state records to the latter 
place, which he declared to be, pro tempore, the seat 
of government. 

It is impossible to describe the stormy excite- 
ment which the promulgation of this fiat raised in 
Austin. The keepers of hotels, boarding-houses, 
groceries, and faro-banks, were thunderstruck, — 
maddened to frenzy; for the measure would be a 
death-blow to their prosperity in business; and, 
accordingly, they determined at once to take the 
necessary steps to avert the danger, by opposing 
the execution of Houston's mandate. They called 
a mass meeting of the citizens and farmers of the 
circumjacent country, who were all more or less 
interested in the question ; and, after many fiery 
speeches against the asserted tyranny of the admin- 
istration, it was unanimously resolved to prevent the 
removal of the archives, by open and armed resist- 
ance. To that end, they organized a company of 
four hundred men ; one moiety of whom, relieving 
the other at regular periods of duty, should keep 
constant guard around the state-house until the 
peril passed by. The commander of this force was 
one Colonel Morton, who had achieved considerable 
renown in the war for independence, and had still 



BY LAND AND SEA. 79 

more recently displayed desperate bravery in two 
desperate duels, in both of which he had cut his 
antagonist nearly to pieces with the bowie-knife. 
Indeed, from the notoriety of his character, for re- 
venge as well as courage, it was thought that Presi- 
dent Houston would renounce his purpose touching 
the archives, so soon as he should learn w r ho was 
the leader of the opposition. 

Morton, on his part, whose vanity fully equaled his 
personal prow r ess, encouraged and justified the pre- 
vailing opinion, by his boastful threats. He swore 
that if the president did succeed in removing the 
records by the march of an overpowering force, he 
would then, himself, hunt him down like a wolf, and 
shoot him with as little ceremony, or stab him in his 
bed, or waylay him in his walks of recreation. He 
even wrote the hero of San Jacinto to that effect. 
The latter replied in a note of laconic brevity : 

" If the people of Austin do not send the archives, 
I shall certainly come and take them ; and if Colonel 
Morton can kill me, he is welcome to my ear-cap." 

On the reception of this answer, the guard was 
doubled around the state-house. Chosen sentinels 
were stationed along the road leading to the capital, 
the military paraded the streets from morning till 



80 THRILLIN® ADVENTURES 

night, and a select caucus held permanent session 
in the city hall. In short, everything betokened a 
coming tempest. 

One day, while matters were in this precarious 
condition, the caucus at the city hall was surprised 
by the sudden appearance of a stranger, whose 
mode of entering was as extraordinary as his looks 
and dress. lie did not kifock at the closed door — 
he did not seek admission there at all ; but climb- 
ing, unseen, a small, bushy-topped, live oak, which 
2jrew beside the wall, he leaped, without sound or 
vaniing, through a lofty window. He was clothed 
Jtogether in buckskin, carried a long and heavy 
i fie in his hand, wore at the button of his left sus- 
pender a large bowie-knife, and had in his leathern 
elt a couple of pistols half the length of his gun. 
ie was tall, straight as an arrow, active as a pan- 
her in his motions, with dark complexion, and 
uxuriant, jetty hair, with a severe, iron-like coun- 
enance, that seemed never to have known a smile, 
nd eyes of intense, vivid black, wild and rolling, 
id piercing as the point of a dagger. His strange 
Ivent inspired a thrill of involuntary fear, and 
any present unconsciously grasped the handles 
f their side-arms. 

" Who are you, that thus presumes .to intrude 
among gentlemen, without invitation ? " demanded 



BY LAND AND SEA. 81 

Colonel Morton, ferociously essaying to cow down 
the stranger with his eye. 

The latter returned his stare with compound 
interest, and laid his long, bony finger on his lip, 
as a sign — but of what, the spectators could not 
imagine. 

" Who are you ? Speak ! or I will cut an ans- 
wer out of your heart ! " shouted Morton, almost 
distracted with rage, by the cool, sneering gaze of 
the other, who now removed his finger from his lip, 
and laid it on the hilt of his monstrous knife. 

The fiery colonel then drew his dagger, and was 
in the act of advancing upon the stranger, when sev- 
eral caught him and held him back, remonstrating. 
"Let him- alone, Morton, for God's sake. Do you 
not perceive that he is crazy ? " 

At the moment, Judge Webb, a man of shrewd 
intellect and courteous manners, stepped forward, 
and addressed the intruder in a most respectful 
manner : 

" My good friend, I presume you have made a 
mistake in the house. This is a private meeting, 
where none but members are admitted." 

The stranger did not appear to comprehend the 

words j but he could not fail to understand the mild 

and deprecatory manner. His rigid features relaxed, 

and moving to a table in the center of the hall, 
4* 



82' THRILLING ADVENTURES 

where there were materials and implements for 
writing, he seized a pen, and traced one line : " I 
am deaf." He then held it up before the specta- 
tors, as a sort of natural apology for his own want 
of politeness. 

Judge Webb took the paper, and wrote a ques- 
tion: "Dear sir, will you be so obliging as to 
inform us what is your business with the present 
meeting ? " 

The other responded by delivering a letter, in- 
scribed on the back, " To the citizens of Austin." 
They broke the seal and read it aloud. It was from 
Houston, and showed the usual terse brevity of his 
style : 

"Fellow Citizens: — Though in error, and de- 
ceived by the arts of traitors, I will give you three 
days more to decide whether you will surrender the 
public archives. At the end of that time you will 
please let me know your decision. 

Sam. Houston." 

After the reading, the deaf man waited a few 
seconds, as if for a reply, and then turned and was 
about to leave the hall, when Colonel Morton, inter- 
posed, and sternly beckoned him back to the table. 
The stranger obeyed, and Morton wrote : " You 



BY LAND AND SEA. 83 

were brave enough to insult me by your threatening 
looks ten minutes ago ; are you brave enough now 
to give me satisfaction ? " 

The stranger penned his reply : "lam at your 
service ! " 

Morton wrote again : " Who will be your second ? " 

The stranger rejoined : " I am too generous to 
seek an advantage ; and too brave to fear any on 
part of others ; therefore, I never need the aid of a 
second." 

Morton penned : " Name your terms." 

The stranger traced, without a moment's hesita- 
tion : u Time, sunset this evening ; place, the left 
bank of the Colerado, opposite Austin; weapons, 
rifles ; and distance, a hundred yards. Do not fail 
to be in time ! " 

lie then took three steps across the floor, and 
disappeared through the window, as he had entered. 

" What ? " exclaimed Judge Webb, " is it possi- 
ble Colonel Morton, that you intend to fight that 
man ? lie is a mute, if not a positive maniac. 
Such a meeting, I fear, will sadly tarnish the luster 
of your laurels." 

"You are mistaken," replied Morton, with a 
smile ; " that mute is a hero whose fame stands in 
the records of a dozen battles, and at least half as 
many bloody duels. Besides, he is the favorite 



84 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

emissary and bosom friend of Houston. If I have 
the good fortune to kill him, I think it will tempt 
the president to retract his vow against venturing 
any more on the field of honor." 

" You know the man, then. Who is he ? Who 
is he ? " asked twenty voices together. 

"Deaf Smith," answered Morton, coolly. 

" Why, no ; that can not be. Deaf Smith was 
slain at San Jacinto," remarked Judge Webb. 

" There, again, your honor is mistaken," said 
Morton. " The story of Smith's death was a mere 
fiction, got up by Houston to save the life of his 
favorite from the sworn vengeance of certain Tex- 
ans, on whose conduct he had acted as a spy. I 
fathomed the artifice twelve months since." 

" If what you say be true, you are a madman 
yourself!" exclaimed Webb. "Deaf Smith was 
was never known to miss his mark. He has often 
brought down ravens in their most rapid flight, and 
killed Camanches and Mexicans at a distance of 
of two hundred and fifty yards ! " 

"Say no more," answered Colonel Morton, in 
tones of deep determination; "the thing is already 
settled. I have already agreed to meet him. There 
can be no disgrace in falling before such a shot, and, 
if I succeed, my triumph will confer the greater 
glory ! " 



BY LAND AND SEA. 85 

Such was the general habit of thought and fuel- 
ing prevalent throughout Texas at that period. 

Toward evening a vast crowd assembled at the 
place appointed to witness the hostile meeting ; and 
so great was the popular recklessness as to affairs 
of the sort, that numerous and considerable sums 
were wagered on the result. At length the red 
orb of the summer sun touched the curved rim of 
the western horizon, covering it all with crimson 
and gold, and filling the air with a flood of burning * 
glory ; and then the two mortal antagonists, armed 
with long, ponderous rifles, took their stations, back 
to back, and at a preconcerted signal — the waving 
of a white handkerchief — walked slowly and stead- 
ily off, in opposite directions, counting their steps 
until each had measured fifty. They both com- 
pleted the given number about the same instant, 
and then they wheeled, each to aim and fire when 
he chose. As the distance was great, both paused 
for some seconds — long enough for the beholders 
to flash their eyes from one to the other, and mark 
the striking contrast betwixt them. The face of 
Colonel Morton was calm and smiling; but the 
smile it bore had a most murderous meaning. On 
the contrary, the countenance of Deaf Smith was 
stern and passionless as ever. A side view of his 
features might have been mistaken for a profile 



86 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

done in cast iron. The one, too, was dressed in the 
richest cloth ; the other in smoke-tinted leather. 
But that made no difference in Texas then ; for the 
heirs of heroic courage were all considered peers ■= — 
the class of inferiors embraced none but cowards. 

Presently two rifles exploded with simultaneous 
roars. Colonel Morton gave a prodigious bound 
upward, and dropped to the earth a corpse ! Deaf 
Smith stood erect, and immediately began to reload 
his rifle ; and then, having finished his brief task, 
he hastened away into the adjacent forest. 

Three days afterward, General Houston, accom- 
panied by Deaf Smith and ten other men, appeared 
in Austin, and, without further opposition, removed 
the state papers. 

The history of the hero of the foregoing anec- 
dote was one of the most extraordinary ever known 
in the West. He made his advent in Texas at an 
early period, and continued to reside there until his 
death, which happened some two years ago ; but, 
although he had many warm personal friends, no 
one could ever ascertain either the land of his birth, 
or a single gleam of his previous biography. When 
he was questioned on the subject, he laid his finger 
on his lip ; and if pressed more urgently, his brow 
writhed, and his dark eye seemed to shoot sparks 
of livid fire! He could write with astonishing 



BY LAND AND SEA. 87 

Correctness and facility, considering his situation ; 
and, although denied the exquisite pleasure and 
priceless advantages of the sense of hearing, nature 
had given him ample compensation, by an eye, 
quick and far-seeing as an eagle's; and a smell, 
keen and incredible as that of a raven. He could 
discover objects moving miles away in the far-off 
prairie, when others could perceive nothing but 
earth and sky ; and the rangers used to declare 
that he could catch the scent of a Mexican or Indian 
at as great a distance as a buzzard could distinguish 
the odor of a dead carcass. 

It was these qualities which fitted him so well 
for a spy, in which capacity he rendered invaluable 
services to Houston's army during the war of inde- 
pendence. He always went alone, and generally 
obtained the information desired. His habits in 
private life were equally singular. He could never 
be persuaded to sleep under the roof of a house, or 
even to use a tent-cloth. Wrapped in his blanket, 
he loved to lie out in the open air, under the blue 
canopy of pure ether, and count the stars, or gaze, 
with a yearning look, at the melancholy moon. 
When not employed as a spy or guide, he subsisted 
by hunting, being often absent on solitary excur- 
sions for weeks and even months together, in the 
wilderness. He was a genuine son of nature, a 



88 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

grown up child of the woods and prairie, which ho 
worshiped with a sort of Pagan adoration. Excluded 
by his infirmities from cordial fellowship with his 
kind, he made the inanimate things of the earth his 
friends, and entered, by the heart's own adoption, 
into brotherhood with the luminaries of heaven ! 
Wherever there was land or water, barren rocks or 
tangled brakes of wild, waving cane, there was 
Deaf Smith's home, and there he was happy ; but 
in the streets of great cities, in all the great thor- 
oughfares of men, wherever there was flattery or 
fawning, base cunning or craven fear, there was 
Deaf Smith an alien and an exile. 

Strange soul ! he hath' departed on the long 
journey, away among those high, bright stars, which 
were his night-lamps; and he hath either solved or 
ceased to ponder the deep mystery of the magic 
word, " life." He is dead ; therefore let his errors 
rest in oblivion, and his virtues be remembered 
with hope. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 89 



ESCAPE FROM A SHARK. 

While she was lying in the harbor at Havana, 
it was very hot on board the Royal Consort, about 
four o'clock in the afternoon of the 14th of July. 
There was not the slightest movement in the air ; 
the rays of the sun seemed to burn down into the 
water. Silence took hold of the animated creation. 
It was too hot to talk, whistle, or sing; to bark, to 
crow, or to bray. Every thing crept under cover, 
but Sambo and Cuffee, two fine-looking blacks, who 
sat sunning themselves on the quay, and thought 
u him berry pleasant weather," and glistened like a 
new Bristol bottle. 

Sambo and Cuffee, as we have said, were sitting 
on the quay, enjoying the pleasant^ sunshine, and 
making their evening repast of banana, when they 
heard the plunge into the water by the side of the 
Royal Consort, and presently saw Brook Watson 
emerging from the deep, his hands to his eyes to 
free them from the brine, balancing up and down, 
spattering the water from his mouth, and then 
throwing himself forward, hand over hand, as if at 
length he really felt himself in his element. 



i)0 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

"Oh, Massa Bacra!" roared out Sambo, as soon 
as he could recover from his astonishment enough 
to speak, " Oh, Senor ! he white man neber go to 
swim ! Oh, de tiburon ! he berry bad bite, come de 
shark ; he hab berry big mouth ; he eatee a Senor 
all up down ! " 

Such was the exclamation of Sambo, in the best 
English he had been able to pick up, in a few years' 
service, in unlading the American vessels, that came 
to the Havana. It was intended to apprise the bold 
but inexperienced stranger, that the waters were 
filled with sharks, and that it was dangerous to 
swim in them. The words were scarcely uttered, 
and, even if they were heard, had not time to 
produce their effect, when Cuffee responded to the 
exclamation of his sable colleague, with — 

" Oh, Madre de Dios ! see, see, de tiburon ! de 
shark! — ah, San Salvador! ah, pobre joven! matar, 
todo comer, he eat him all down, berry soon ! " 

This second cry had been drawn from the kind- 
hearted negro, by seeing, at a distance in the water, 
a smooth-shooting streak, which an inexperienced 
eye would not have noticed, but which Sambo and 
Cuffee knew full well. It was the wake of a shark. 
At a distance of a mile or two, the shark had per- 
ceived his prey ; and, with the rapidity of sound, 
he had shot across the intervening space, scarcely 




— - — — 



BY LAND AND SEA. 93 

disturbing the surface with a ripple. Cuffee's prac- 
ticed eye alone had seen a flash of his tail, at the 
distance of a mile and a half; and, raising his voice 
to the utmost of his strength, he had endeavored 
to apprise the incautious swimmer of his danger. 
Brook heard the shout, and turned his eye in the 
direction in which the negro pointed; and, well 
skilled in all the appearances of the water, under 
which he could see almost as well as in the open 
air, he perceived the sharp forehead of the fearful 
animal rushing toward him, head on, with a rapidity 
which bade defiance to flight. 

In a moment, the dreadful monster had shot 
across the entire space that separated him from 
Brook ; and had stopped, as if its vitality had been 
instantly arrested, at the distance of about twelve 
feet from our swimmer. Brook had drawn himself 
up in the most pugnacious attitude possible, and 
was treading water with great activity. The shark, 
probably unused to any signs of making battle, re- 
mained, for one moment, quiet; and then, like a 
flash of lightning, shot sidelong off, and came round 
in the rear. Brook, however, Was as wide awake 
as his enemy. 

The plashing of the oars of Sambo and Cuffee 
warned the sagacious monster of gathering foes. 
Whirling himself over on his back, and turning up 



94 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

his long, white belly, and opening his terrific jaws 
set round with a double row of broad, serrated 
teeth, the whole roof of his mouth paved with 
horrent fangs, all standing erect, sharp, and rigid, 
just permitting the blood-bright red to be seen be- 
tween their roots, he darted toward Brook. Brook's 
self-possession stood by him in this trying moment. 
He knew very well if the animal reached him in 
a vital part, that instant death was his fate ; and, 
with a rapid movement, either of instinct or calcu- 
lation, he threw himself backward, kicking, at the 
same moment, at the shark. In consequence of this 
movement, his foot and leg passed into the horrid 
maw of the dreadful monster, and were severed in 
a moment, — muscles, sinews, and bone. In the 
next moment, Sambo and Cuffee were at his side ; 
and lifted him into the boat, convulsed with pain, 
and fainting with loss of blood. Brook was taken 
on board, bandages and styptics were applied, and 
in due season the youth recovered. 

The place of his lost limb was supplied by a 
wooden one ; and industry, temperance, probit}^, 
and zeal, supplied the place of a regiment of legs, 
when employed to prop up a lazy and dissipated 
frame. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 95 



ADVENTURE WITH PIRATES. 

FROM "FORTUNE'S ADVENTURES IN CHINA." 

Early in the morning, the whole fleet was in 
.notion, starting all together, for the sake of mutual 
protection. The wind and tide were both fair, and 
we proceeded along the coast with great rapidity, 
and were soon out' of sight of the Min and its beau- 
tiful and romantic scenery. The plan of mutual 
protection soon seemed to be abandoned, and the 
vessels soon separated into threes and fours, each 
getting on as well anil as fast as it could. About 
four o'clock in the afternoon, and when we were 
some fifty or sixty miles from the Min, the captain 
ami the pilot came hurriedly down to my cabin, and 
informed me that they saw a number of Jan-dous, 
right ahead, lying in wait for us. I ridiculed the 
idea, and told them that they imagined every junk 
they saw to be a pirate ; but they still maintained 
that they were so, and I therefore considered it pru- 
dent to be prepared for the worst. I got out of bed, 
ill and feverish as I was, and carefully examined 
my fire-arms, clearing the nipples of my gun a^- 1 



96 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

pistols, and putting on fresh caps. I also rammed 
down a ball upon the top of each charge of shot in 
my gun, put a pistol in each side-pocket, and pa- 
tiently awaited for the result. By the aid of a 
small pocket-telescope, I could see, as the nearest 
junk approached, that her deck was crowded with 
men ; I then had no longer any doubts regarding 
her intentions. The pilot, an intelligent old man, 
now came up to me, and said that he thought re- 
sistance would be of no use ; I might manage to 
beat off one junk, or even two, but I had no chance 
with five of them. Being at that time in no mood 
to take advice, or be dictated by any one, I ordered 
him off to look after his own duty. I knew per- 
fectly well, that if we were taken by the pirates, I 
had not the slightest chance of escape ; for the first 
thing they would do, would be to knock me on the 
head and throw me overboard, as they w T ould deem 
it dangerous to themselves were I to get away. At 
the same time, I must confess, I had little hopes of 
being able to beat off such a number, and devoutly 
wished myself anywhere rather than where I was. 
The scene around me was a strange one. The cap- 
tain, pilot, and one or two native passengers were 
taking up the boards of the cabin floor, and putting 
their money and other valuables out of sight, 
among the ballast. The common sailors, too, had 



BY LAND AND SEA. 97 

their copper cash, or " tsien," to hide ; and the 
whole place was in a state of bustle and confusion, 
When all their more valuable property was hidden, 
they began to make some preparations for defense. 
Baskets of small stones were brought up from the 
hold, and emptied out on the most convenient parts 
of the deck, and were intended to be used instead 
of fire-arms, when the pirates came to close quar- 
ters. This is a common mode of defense in various 
parts of China, and is effectual enough when the 
enemy has only similar weapons to bring against 
them ; but on the coast of Fokien, where w T e were 
now, all the pirate junks carried guns ; and, conse- 
quently, a whole deck-load of stones could be of 
little use against them. 

I was surrounded by several of the crew, who 
might well be called " Job's comforters," some sug- 
gesting one thing and some another ; and many 
proposed that we should bring the junk round and 
run back to the Min. The nearest pirate was now 
within two or three hundred yards of us, and, put- 
ting her helm down, gave us a broadside from her 
guns. All was now dismay and consternation on 
board our junk, and every man ran below, except 
two who were at the helm. I expected every mo- 
ment that these also would leave their post ; and 
then we should have been an easy prey to the 






98 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

pirates. " My gun is nearer you than those of the 
Jan-dous," said I to the two men, " and if you 
move from the helm, depend upon it, I will shoot 
you." The poor fellows looked very uncomfortable ; 
but, I suppose, thought they had better stand the 
fire of the pirates than mine, and kept at their post. 
Large boards, heaps of old clothes, mats, and things 
of that sort, which were at hand, were thrown up to 
protect us from the shot ; and, as we had every stitch 
of sail set, and a fair wind, we were going through 
the water at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. 
The shot from the pirate fell considerably short 
of ns, I was therefore enabled to form an opinion of 
the range and power of their guns, which was of 
some use to me. Assistance from our cowardly 
crew was quite out of the question, for there was 
not a man among them, brave enough to use the 
stones which he had brought on deck ; and which, 
perhaps, might have been of some little use when 
the pirates came nearer. The fair wind and all 
the press of sail which we had crowded on the 
junk proved of no use to us. Again the nearest 
pirate fired on us. The shot this time fell just 
under our stern. I still remained quiet, as I had 
determined not to fire a single shot until I was 
quite certain my gun would take effect. The third 
broadside, which followed this, came whizzing over 



BY LAND AND SEA. 90 

our heads and through the sails, without, however, 
wounding either the men at the helm or myself. 

The pirates now seemed quite sure of their piize, 
and came down upon us, hooting and yelling like 
demons, at the same time loading their guns, and 
evidently determined not to spare their shot. This 
was a moment of intense interest. The plan which 
I had formed from the first, was now about to be 
put to proof; and, if the pirates were not the cow- 
ards which I believed them to be, nothing could save 
us from felling into their hands. Their fearful yells 
seem to be ringing in my ears even now, after this 
lapse of time, and when I am on the other side of 
the globe. 

The nearest junk was now within thirty yards 
of ours ; their guns were loaded, and I knew that 
the next discharge would completely rake our decks. 
" Now," said I to our helmsman, " keep your eyes 
fixed on me, and the moment you see me fall flat 
on the deck, you must do the same, or you will be 
shot." I knew that the pirate, who was now on 
our stern, could not bring his guns to bear upon us, 
without putting his helm down and bringing his 
gangway at right angles with our stern, as his guns 
were fired from the gangway. I therefore kept a 
sharp eye upon the helmsman, and the moment I 
saw him putting the helm down, I ordered our 



100 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

steersman to fall flat on their faces behind some- 
wood, and, at the same moment, did so myself. We 
had scarcely done so, when bang ! bang ! went their 
guns, and the shot came whizzing close over us, 
splintering the wood about us in all directions. For- 
tunately none of us were struck. " Now, manda- 
rin, now ! they are quite close enough," cried out 
my companions, who did not wish to have another 
broadside like the last. I, being of the same opin- 
ion, raised myself above the high stern of our junk ; 
and while the pirates were not more than twenty 
yards from us, hooting and yelling, I raked their 
decks, fore and aft, with shot and ball from my 
double-barreled gun. 

Had a thunderbolt fallen among them, they 
could not have been more surprised. Doubtless, 
many were wounded, and probably some killed. At 
all events, the whole of the crew, not fewer than 
forty or fifty men, who, a moment before, crowded 
the deck, disappeared in a marvellous manner; shel- 
tering themselves behind the bulwarks, or lying flat 
on their faces. They were so completely taken by 
surprise, that their junk was left without a helms- 
man ; her sails flapped in the wind ; and, as we 
were still carrying all sail, and keeping on her 
right course, they were soon left a considerable way 
astern. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 101 

Another was now bearing down upon us as boldly 
as his companion had clone, and commenced firing 
in the same manner. Having been so successful 
with the first, I determined to follow the same plan 
with this one, and to pay no attention to his firing 
until he should come to close quarters. The plot 
now began to thicken ; for the first junk had gath- 
ered way again, and was following in our wake, 
although keeping at a respectful distance ; and three 
others, although still further distant, were making 
for the scene of action, as fast as they could. In 
the meantime, the second was almost alongside, and 
continued giving us a broadside, now and then, with 
his guns. Watching their helm as before, we shel- 
tered ourselves as well as we could ; at the same 
time, my poor fellows who were steering, kept beg- 
ging and praying that I would fire into our pursu- 
ers as soon as possible, or we should be all killed. 
As soon as we came within twenty or thirty 3-ards 
of us, I gave them the contents of both barrels, 
raking their decks as before. This time the helms- 
man fell, and, doubtless, several were wounded. In 
a minute or two I could see nothing but boards 
and shields, which were held up by the pirates, to 
protect themselves from my firing ; their junk went 
up into the wind, for want of a helmsman, and was 
soon left some distance behind us. 



102 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

While I was watching this vessel, our men called 
out to me that there was another close on our 
lee-bow, which I had not observed on account of 
our mainsail. Luckily, however, it proved to be a 
Ning-po wood-junk, like ourselves, which the pirates 
had taken a short time before, but which, although 
manned by these rascals, could do us no harm, hav- 
ing no guns. The poor Ning-po crew, whom I 
could plainly see on board, seemed to be very 
much down-hearted and frightened. I was after- 
ward informed, that when a junk is captured, all 
the principal people, such as the captain, pilot, and 
passengers, are taken out of her, and a number 
of the pirates go on board and take her into some 
of their dens among the islands, and keep her 
there until a heavy ransom is paid, both for the junk 
and the people. Sometimes, when a ransom can 
not be obtained, the masts, and spars, and every- 
thing else which is of any value, are taken out of 
her, and she is set on fire. 

The two other piratical junks which had been fol- 
lowing in our wake for some time, when they saw 
what had happened, would not venture any nearer; 
and at last, much to my satisfaction, the whole set 
of them bore away. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 103 



A SEA-FOWLING ADVENTURE. 

One pleasant afternoon in summer, Frank Costello 
jumped into his little boat, and pulling her out of 
the narrow creek where she lay moored, crept along 
the iron-bound shore until he reached the entrance 
of one of those deep sea-caves, so common upon the 
western coast of Ireland. To the gloomy recesses 
of these natural caverns, millions of sea-fowl resort 
during the breeding season; and it was among the 
feathered tribes then congregated in the " Puffin 
Cave," that Frank meant, on that evening, to de<*d 
death and destruction. Gliding, with lightly-dipping 
oars, into the yawning chasm, he stepped nimbly 
from his boat, and making the painter fast to a pro- 
jecting rock, he lighted a torch, and, armed only 
with a stout cudgel, penetrated into the innermost 
recesses of the cavern. There he found a vast 
quantity of birds and eggs, and soon became so en- 
grossed with his sport that he paid no attention to 
the lapse of time, until the hollow sound of rushing 
waters behind him made him aware that the tide, 
which was ebbing when he entered the cave, had 



104 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

turned, and was now rising rapidly. His first 
impulse was to return to the spot where, he had 
made his boat fast ; but how was he horrified on 
perceiving that the rock to which it had been se- 
cured was now completely covered with water. He 
might, however, still have reached it by swimming ; 
but, unfortunately, the painter, by which it was 
attached to the rock, not having sufficient scope, the 
boat, on the rising of the tide, was drawn, stern 
down, to a level with the water ; and Frank, as he 
beheld her slowly fill and disappear beneath the 
waves, felt as if the last link between the living 
world and himself had been broken. To go forward 
was impossible ; and he well knew that there was 
no way of retreating from the cave, which, in a few 
hours, would be filled by the advancing tide. His 
heart died within him, as the thought of the horrid 
fate which awaited him flashed across his mind. 
He was not a man who feared to face death; by 
flood or field, on the stormy sea and the dizzy cliff, 
he had dared it a thousand times with perfect un- 
concern ; but to meet' the grim tyrant there, alone, 
to struggle hopelessly with him for life in that dreary 
tomb, was more than his fortitude could bear. He 
shrieked aloud in the agony of despair — the torch 
fell from his trembling hand into the dark waters 
that gurgled at his feet, and, flashing for a moment 



BY LAND AND SEA. 105 

upon their inky surface, expired with a hissing 
sound, that fell like a death-warning upon his ear. 
The wind, which had been scarcely felt during the 
day, began to rise with the flowing of the tide, and 
now drove the tumultuous waves with hoarse and 
hideous clamor into the cavern. Every moment 
increased the violence of the gale that howled and 
bellowed as it swept around the echoing roof of that 
rock-ribbed prison; while the hoarse dash of the 
approaching waves, and the shrill screams of the 
sea-birds that filled the cavern, formed a concert of 
terrible dissonance, well suited for the requiem of 
the hapless wretch who had been enclosed in that 
living grave ! But the love of life, which makes us 
cling to it in the most hopeless extremity, was 
strong in Frank Costello's breast ; his firmness and 
presence of mind gradually returned, and he resolved 
not to perish without a struggle. He remembered 
that, at the farther extremity of the cavern, the rock 
rose like a flight of rude stairs, sloping from the 
floor to the roof; he had often clambered up those 
rugged steps, and he knew that, by means of them, 
he could place himself at an elevation above the 
reach of the highest tide. But the hope thus sug- 
gested was quickly damped when he reflected that 
a deep fissure, which ran perpendicularly through 

the rock, formed a chasm ten feet in width, in the 
5* 



106 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

floor of the cavern, between him and his place of 
refuge. The tide, however, which was now rising 
rapidly, compelled him to retire every instant, fur- 
ther into the cavern, and he felt that the only 
chance he had left him for life was to endeavor to 
cross the chasm. He was young, active, and pos- 
sessed of uncommon courage, and he had frequently, 
by torch-light, leaped across the abyss, in the pres- 
ence of his companions, few of whom dared to 
follow his example. But now, alone and in utter 
darkness, how was he to attempt such a perilous 
feat ? The conviction that death was inevitable if 
he remained where he was, decided him. Col- 
lecting a handful of loose pebbles from one of the 
numerous channels in the floor, he proceeded cau- 
tiously over the slippery rocks, throwing at every 
step a pebble before him, to ascertain the security 
of his footing. At length he heard the stone, as 
it fell from his fingers, descend with a hollow, clat- 
tering noise, that continued for several seconds. 
He knew he was standing on the brink of the 
chasm. One quick and earnest prayer he breathed 
to the invisible Power, whose hand could protect 
him in that dread moment — then, retiring a single 
pace, and screwing every nerve i and muscle in his 
body to the utmost tension, he made a step in 
advance, and threw himself forward into the dark 



BY LAND AND SEA. 



107 



and fearful void. Who can tell the whirlwind of 
thought that rushed through his brain in the brief 
moment that he hung above that yawning gulf? 
Should he have miscalculated his distance, or chosen 
a place where the cleft was widest — should his 
footing fail, or his strength be unequal to carry 
him over, what a death were his ! Dashed down 
that horrible abyss — crashing from rock to rock, 
until he lay at the bottom a mutilated corpse. The 
agony of years Avas crowded into one moment — 
in the next, his feet struck against the firm rock on 
the opposite side of the chasm, and he was saved ! 
At least, he felt that he had for the moment es- 
caped the imminent peril in which he was placed, 
and, as he clambered joyfully up the rugged slope 
at the end of the cave, he thought little of the 
dangers he had still to encounter. All through 
that long night he sat on the narrow ledge of a 
rock, while the angry waves thundered beneath, 
and cast their cold spray every instant over him. 
With the ebbing of the tide, the sea receded from 
the cavern ; but Frank hesitated to attempt cross- 
ing the chasm again ; his limbs had become stiff and 
benumbed, and his long abstinence had so weakened 
his powers that he shrank from the dangerous en- 
terprise. While giving way to the most desponding 
reflections, a stentorian hilloa rang and echoed 



108 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

through the cavern; and never had the human 
voice sounded so sweetly in his ear. He replied to 
it with a thrilling shout of joy, and, in a few minutes, 
several persons with torches appeared advancing. 
A plank was speedily thrust across the fissure, and 
Frank Costello once more found himself amid a 
group of his friends, who were warmly congratulat- 
ing him upon his miraculous escape. They told him 
that, from his not having returned home the preced- 
ing night, it was generally concluded that he had 
been drowned, and a party of his neighbors pro- 
ceeded in a boat, early in the morning, in search of 
his body. On reaching "Puffin Hole," they dis- 
covered his boat fastened to a rock, and full of 
water, as she had remained on the ebbing of the 
tide. This circumstance induced them to examine 
the cavern narrowly, and the happy result of their 
search is already known. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 109 



ADVENTURE WITH A COBRA DI CAPELLO. 

I might have slept some four or five hours, and a 
dreamless and satisfying sleep it was ; but certain it 
is — let sciolists say what they will, and skeptics 
throw doubts by handfulls on the assertions of met- 
aphysicians — that, before I awoke, and in my 
dreamless slumber, I had a visible perception of 
peril — a consciousness of the hovering presence of 
death ! How to describe my feelings I know not ; 
but, as we have all read and heard that, if the 
eyes of a watcher are steadily fixed on the counte- 
nance of a sleeper for a certain length of time, the 
slumberer will be sure to start up — wakened by 
the mysterious magnetism of a recondite principle 
of clairvoyance ; so it was that, with shut eyes and 
drowsed-up senses, an inward ability was conferred 
upon me to detect the living from the presence of 
danger near me — to see, though sleep-blind, the 
formless shape of a mysterious horror crouching 
beside me ; and, as if the peril that was my night- 
mate was of a nature to be quickened into fatal 



110 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

activity by any motion on my part, I felt in my 
very stupor the critical necessity of lying quite 
still ; so that, when I at last awoke and felt that as 
I lay with my face toward the roof, there was a 
thick, heavy, cold, creeping thing upon my chest, 
I stirred not, nor uttered a word of panic. Danger 
and fear may occasionally dull the sense and paralyse 
the faculties, but they more frequently sharpen both, 
and ere I could wink my eye, £ was broad awake 
and aware that, coiling and coiling itself up into a 
circle of twists, an enormous serpent was on my 
breast. When I tell you that the whole of my 
chest, and even the pit of my stomach, were covered 
with the cold, scaly proportions of the reptile^ you 
will own that it must have been one of considerable 
size. 

What my thoughts were — so made up of abhor- 
rence, dread, and the expectation — nay, assurance 
of speedy death, that must follow any movement on 
my part — I can never hope to tell in language 
sufficiently distinct and vivid to convey their fall 
force. It was evident the loathsome creature had 
at length settled itself to sleep ; and I felt thankful 
that, attracted by my breath, it had not approached 
the upper part of my throat. It became quite still, 
and its weighty pressure — its first clammy dull- 
ness becoming gradually (so it seemed to rac) of 



BY LAND AND SEA. Ill 

a burning heat — and the odious, indescribable odor 
which exhaled from its body and pervaded the 
whole air — so overwhelmed me, that it was only 
by a severe struggle I preserved myself from shriek- 
ing. As it was, a cold sweat burst from every pore. 
I could hear the beating of my heart — and I felt, 
to my increased dismay, that the palsy of terror 
had began • to agitate my limbs ! " It will wake," 
thought I, " and then all is over ! " At this junc- 
ture, something — it might have been a wall-lizard, 
or a large beetle — fell from the ceiling upon my 
left arm, which lay stretched at my side. The 
snake, uncoiling its head, raised itself, with a low 
hiss, and then, for the first time, I saw it, — saw 
the hood, the terrible crest glistening in the moon- 
shine. It was a Cobra di Capello ! Shading my 
eyes to exclude the dreadful spectacle, I lay almost 
fainting, until again all was quiet. Had its fiery 
glances encountered mine, all would have been over; 
but, apparently, it was once more asleep, and pres- 
ently I heard the Lascar moving about, undoing 
the fastenings of the tent, and striking a light. A 
thought suddenly struck me, and, with an impulse 
I could then ascribe to nothing short of desperation, 
though its effects were so providential, I uttered, 
in a loud, but sepulchral tone, " Kulassi ! Lascar." 
" Sahib ! " was the instantaneous response, and my 



112 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

heart beat quicker at the success of my attempt. 
I lay still again, for the reptile, evidently roused, 
made a movement, and its head, as I suppose, fell 
on my naked arm. Oh God ! the agony of that 
moment, when suppressed tremor almost gave way 
to madness ! I debated with myself whether I 
should again endeavor to attract the attention of the 
Kulassi, or remain perfectly quiet ; or whether it 
would not be better than either to start up at once 
and shake the disgustful burden from me. But the 
latter suggestion was at once abandoned, because of 
the assurance I felt that it would prove fatal ; im- 
peded by the heavy coils of the creature, weak and 
nerveless from excitement, I could not escape its 
fangs. Again, therefore, I spoke with the hollow 
but distinct accents which arise from the throat 
when the speaker is afraid to move a muscle: — 
" Kulassi Chiragh ! " — Lascar, a lanthorn ! " Latah 
own Sahib." I am bringing it, sir. There was then 
a sound of clanking metal — light, advancing, flashes 
across the roof of the veranda — and, at the noise 
of coming steps, lo ! one after one its terrible coils 
unwinding, the grisly monster glided away from my 
body ; and the last sounds that struck my sense of 
hearing were the — " Ya illahi samp ! " Oh God ! 
a snake ! — of the lascar ; for I fainted away for the 
first time in my life. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 115 



COMBAT OF WILD ANIMALS. 

We were conducted to a gallery which command- 
ed a view of a narrow court or area beneath, inclosed 
by walls and palisades. This was the arena in which 
the spectacle was to take place. Unfortunately, the 
space allotted to spectators was so narrowed by the 
great number of European ladies who were present, 
that we could only find indifferent standing room, 
where, in addition to this inconvenience, the glare of 
the sun was very oppressively felt ; but the drama 
which began to be acted in our sight in the deep 
space below, was such that every discomfort was for- 
gotten in beholding it. We there beheld six mighty 
buffaloes, not of the tame species, but the sturdy off- 
spring of the Arni-buffalo of the hill country, at least 
four feet and a half high from the ground to the 
withers, with enormous widely-spread horns, several 
feet long. There they stood, on their short, clumsy 
hoofs, and, snorting violently, blew out their angry 
breath from their protruded muzzles, as if they were 
already aware of the nearly approaching danger. 
What terribly powerful brutes ! what vast strength 



110 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

in their broad and brawny necks ! It would have 
been a noble sight, had not their eyes the while 
expressed snch entire stupidity. 

A rattling of sticks, and the cries of several kind? 
of bestial voices were heard — to which the buffaloes 
replied with a deep bellowing. On a sudden, from 
an opened side door, there darted forth a huge tigei , 
certainly from ten to eleven feet in length, and foni 
in height. Without much hesitation, he sprang with 
a single long bound right amid the buffaloes ; one 
of which, winding his body out of the reach of the 
formidable horns, he seized by the neck with both 
claws and teeth at once. The weight of the tiger 
almost overthrew the buffalo. A hideous combat 
now took place. Groaning and bellowing, the buf- 
falo dragged his powerful assailant up and down the 
arena ; while the others, with their heavy, pointed 
horns, dealt the tiger fearful gashes, to liberate their 
fellow beast. A deep stillness reigned among the 
public; all the spectators awaited with eager sus- 
pense the issue of this contest between the tiger and 
the buffaloes ; as well as the fate of some unfortunate 
asses, which latter, to increase the sport, being made 
perforce witnesses of the sanguinary action, at first 
looked down upon it from their poles with inexpres- 
sible horror, and afterward, when their supports 
were shaken by the butting of the buffaloes, fell to 




BY LAND AND SEA. 117 

the ground as if dead, and, with outstretched limbs, 
lay, expecting their fate with the greatest resigna- 
tion — without making a single effort to save them- 
selves. Two other tigers, of somewhat less stature, 
were now, with great difficulty, driven in ; while 
the main struggle was still going forward. But no 
efforts could induce them to attempt an attack of 
any kind ; they shrank down like cats, crouching as 
closely as possible to the walls of the inclosure, 
whenever the buffaloes, who still continued, however, 
to butt at their enemy with the utmost desperation, 
approached them. The great tiger had, at last, re- 
ceived a push in the ribs, which lifted him from his 
seat. He came tumbling down, and crawled like a 
craven into a corner ; whither he was pursued by 
the buffalo, maddened by the pain of his lacerated 
neck — and there had to endure many thrusts with 
his horns, at each of which he only drew up his 
mouth with a grimace of pain, without making the 
smallest motion to ward off the attack. 

The spectacle was by no means ended here. 
Other combatants were driven in, and fought with 
more or less energy. 



118 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



PERILOUS INCIDENT 

ON A CANADIAN RIVER. 

A young man and his sister have kept tl js ferry 
several years, during which they have performed 
many acts of heroic benevolence, and have rescued 
numbers of their fellow creatures from a watery 
grave. One of these had so much of perilous ad- 
venture in it, that I shall make no apology for giv- 
ing some account of it, the more especially as I was 
myself one of the trembling and anxious spectators 
of the whole scene. 

A raft of timber, on its way down the river to 
the nearest port, was dashed to pieces by the vio- 
lence of the rapids. There was the usual number 
of men upon it, all of whom, except two, were for- 
tunate enough to get upon a few logs, which kept 
together, and were comparatively safe, while their 
two poor comrades, were helplessly contending with 
the tumbling waves, almost within reach of them, 
but without their being able to afford them the 
slightest assistance. After a minute or two, and 
when one more would have been their last, a long 



BY LAND AND SEA. 119 

oar or sweep, belonging to the wretched raft, came 
floating by. They instantly seized it, and held on 
till they were carried down more than a mile, loudly 
calling for help as they went along ; but what aid 
could we render them ? No craft, none, at least, 
which were on the banks of the river, could live in 
such a boiling torrent as that ; for it was during one 
of the high spring freshets. But the ferryman was 
of a different opinion, and could not brook the 
thought of their dying before his eyes without his 
making a single effort to save them. "How could 
I stand idly looking on," he said to me afterward, 
" with a tough ash oar in my hand, and a tight little 
craft at my feet, and hear their cries for help, and 
see them drowned ? " He determined, at all risks, 
to try to rescue them from the fate which seemed to 
us inevitable. He could not, however, go alone, and 
there was not another man on that side of the river 
within half a mile of him. His sister knew this, 
and, courageously, like another Grace Darling, pro- 
posed, at once, to accompany him in his perilous ad- 
venture. From being so often on the water with 
her brother, she knew well how to handle an oar. 
Often, indeed, without him she had paddled a 
passenger across the ferry in her little canoe. He 
accepted her proposal, and we had the satisfaction 
of seeing the light punt put off from the shore 



120 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

opposite to that from which we were idly and use- 
lessly looking on, and go gallantly over the surg- 
ing torrent toward the sinking men. We feared, 
however, that it would not be in time to save them, 
as their cries for help grew fainter and fainter, till 
each one, we thought, would have been their last. 
We saw that the oar, with the drowning men cling- 
ing to it, was floating rapidly down the middle of 
the stream, which, in this particular locality, is more 
than a quarter of a mile in breadth, and would inev- 
itably, in two or three minutes more, be in the white 
water among the breakers, when their fate must be 
sealed, and the boat, if it followed, dashed to pieces 
among the rocks. This was the principal point of 
danger, and they had to run down within a most fear- 
ful proximity of it, to cross the course down which 
the drowning men were drifting, and, as they did 
so, to seize hold of them without losing their own 
headway ; for there was not time for that. They 
succeeded in shooting athwart the current, rapid as 
it was, just below the men. With breathless and 
painful anxiety we saw them execute this dangerous 
manoeuver. We saw the ferryman lean over the 
side of his boat, for a moment, as it passed them, 
while his sister backed water with her oar. 

" They are saved ! " some one said, close behind 
me, in a whisper so deep and earnest that I started, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 121 

and turned to look at the speaker ; when another, 
who heard him, exclaimed, " No, no ! they are gone ! 
they are lost ! the boat has left them ! " And sure 
enough, it had. But, in an instant afterward, just 
as we thought they were about to be driven into 
the fatal breakers, they turned, to our inexpressible 
delight, as if drawn by some invisible power (the 
rope the ferryman had attached to the oar was, 
indeed, invisible to us,) and followed the boat. 

The ferryman and his sister had yet to pull a 
fearful distance for the time they had to do it in, to 
get out • of that part of the current leading to the 
breakers : and they accomplished it. The man had 
the bow oar, and we could see the tough ash bene 
like a willow-wand as he stretched out to keep th( 
head of the boat partially up the stream. His sis 
ter, too, " kept her own," and the little punt she I 
out rapidly into the comparatively quiet stream, be- 
yond the influence of the fearful current, which was 
rapidly driving them upon the breakers. When thi 
was accomplished, our- fears for the noble-kearte* 
brother and sister were at an end, and we took 
long breath ; it was, indeed, a relief to do so. Sti 
we continued to watch their further proceeding 
with the deepest interest. 

The moment they got into a less rapid current 
which, they knew, led into comparatively still water, 



122 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

they ceased rowing, and allowed the punt to float 
clown with it. The young ferryman now drew up 
the sweep alongside, and succeeded in getting the 
two unfortunate men into his boat. While he was 
doing this, his sister went aft, and used her oar as a 
rudder £o steer the boat. At the foot of the cur- 
rent, which they soon afterward reached, there was 
no farther danger. But we watched them still ; and 
we saw them row ashore, on their own side of the 
river. One of the poor fellows was so much ex- 
hausted, that the ferryman had to carry him on his 
back to the nearest house, where he soon recovered. 
Twelve months after this took place, I had the sat- 
isfaction of presenting to this worthy ferryman, in the 
presence of above five hundred men, a beautiful sil* 
ver medallion, sent out to me by the Royal Humane 
Society — to which I had transmitted an account of 
the occurrence. Nor was the heroine of my story 
forgotten. A similar medallion was given to him 
for his sister. She could not, with propriety; be 
present herself, as it w r as the annual muster-day of 
the militia in that locality. 

Memoirs of a Ciicbch Missionary in Canada, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 123 



A WHALE CHASE. 

Down went the boats with a splash. Each boat's 
crew sprang over the rail, and in an instant the 
larboard, starboard, and waist-boats were manned. 
There was great rivalry in getting the start. The 
waist-boat got off in pretty good time ; and away 
went all three, dashing the water high over their 
bows. Nothing could be more exciting than the 
chase. The larboard boat, commanded by the mate, 
and the waist-boat, by the second mate, were head 
and head. " Give way, my lads, give way ! " shout- 
ed P , our headsman ; " we gain on them ; give 

way ! A long, steady stroke ! That 's the way to 
tell it ! " "Ay, ay ! " cried Tabor, our boat-steerer. 
" What do you say, boys ? Shall we lick 'em ? " 
" Pull ! pull like vengeance ! " echoed the crew ; 
and we danced over the waves, scarcely seeming to 
touch them. The chase was now truly soul-stirring. 
Sometimes the larboard, then the starboard, then the 
waist-boat took the lead. It was a severe trial of 
skill and muscle. After we had run two miles at 
this rate, the whales turned flukes, going dead to 



124 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

windward. " Now for it, my lads ! " cried P . 

" We '11 have them the next rising. Now pile it on ! 
a long, steady pull ! That 's it ! that 's the way ! 
Those whales belong to us. Do n't give out ! Half 
an hour more, and they 're our whales ! " The 
other boats veered off at either side of us, and con- 
tinued the chase with renewed ardor. In about 
half an hour we lay on our oars to look round for 
the whales. " There she blows ! right ahead ! " 
shouted Tabor, fairly dancing with delight. " There 
she blows — there she blows ! " " Oh, Lord, boys, 

spring ! " cried P . " Spring it is ! What d'ye 

say, now, chummies ? Shall we take those whales ?" 
To this general appeal, every man replied by putting 
his weight on his oar, and exerting his utmost 
strength. The boat flew through the water with 
incredible swiftness, scarcely rising to the waves. A 
large bull whale lay about a quarter of a mile ahead 
of us, lazily rolling in the trough of the sea. The 
larboard and starboard boats were far to leeward of 
us, tugging hard to get a chance at the other whales, 
which were now blowing in every direction. "Give 
way ! give way, my hearties ! " cried P , put- 
ting his weight against the aft oar. " Do you love 
gin ? A bottle of gin to the best man ! Oh, pile 
it on, while you have breath ! pile it on ! " " On 
with the beef, chummies ! Smash every oar ! double 



BY LAND AND SEA. 125 

'em up or break 'em ! " " Every devil's imp of }'0u, 
pull ! No talking; lay back to it; now or never!" 
On dashed the boat, cleaving its way through the 
rough sea, as if the briny element were blue smoke. 
The whale, however, turned flukes before we could 
reach him. When he appeared again above the sur- 
face of the water, it was evident that he had milled 
while down, by which mauoeuver he gained on us 
nearly a mile. The chase was now almost hopeless, 
as he was making to windward rapidly. A heavy 
black cloud was on the horizon, portending an ap- 
proaching squall, and the barque was fast fading 
from sight. Still we were not to be baffled by dis- 
couraging circumstances of this kind, and we braced 
our sinews for a grand and final effort. " Never 
give up, my lads," said the headsman, in a cheering 
voice. " Mark my words, we '11 have the whale yet. 
Only think he 's ours, and there 's no mistake about 
it, he will be ours. Now for a hard, steady pull ! 
Give way ! " " Give way, sir ! Give way all ! " 
" There she blows ! Oh, pull, my lively lads ! Only 
a mile off! " There she blows !" The wind had 
by this time increased almost to a gale, and the 
heavy, black clouds were scattering over us far and 
wide. Part of the squall had passed off to leeward, 
and entirely concealed the barque. Our situation 
was rather unpleasant : in a rough sea, the other 



126 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

boats out of sight, and each moment the wind 
increasing. We continued to strain every muscle 
till we were hard upon the whale. Tabor sprang to 
the bow, and stood by with the harpoon. " Softly, 
softly, my lads," said the headsman. " Ay, ay, 
sir ! " " Hush-h-h ! softly ! Now 's your time, 
Tabor ! " Tabor let fly the harpoon, and buried the 
iron. " Give him another ! " " Stern all ! " thun- 
dered P . " Stern all ! " And, as we rapidly 

backed from the whale, he flung his tremendous 
fluke high in the air, covering us with a cloud of 
spray. He then sounded, making the line whiz as it 
passed through the chocks. When he rose to the 
surface again, we hauled up, and the second mate 
stood ready in the bow to dispatch him with lances. 
"Spouting blood!" said Tabor, "he 's a dead whale! 
he won't need much lancing." It was true enough ; 
for, before the officer could get within dart of him, 
he commenced his dying struggles. The sea was 
crimsoned with his blood. By the time we had 
reached him, he was belly up. We lay upon our 
oars a moment, to witness his last throes, and when 
he turned his head toward the sun, a loud, simulta- 
neous cheer, burst from every lip. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 127 



LEOPARD HUNTING. 

AND ADVENTURES WITH BUFFALOES AND LIONS. 

Mr. Cumming has published a volume containing 
a record of his hunting exploits in Africa, in the 
,year 1848. The following interesting accounts of 
adventures are from his work. 

On the morning, says Mr. Cumming, I rode into 
camp, after unsuccessfully following the spoor of a 
'ierd of elephants for two days, in a westerly course. 
Having partaken of some refreshment, I saddled up 
two steeds and rode down the bank of Ngotwani, 
with the Bushman, to seek for any game I might 
find. After riding about a mile along the river's 
green bank, I came suddenly upon an old male 
leopard, lying under the shade of a thorn grove, 
and panting from the great heat. Although I was 
within sixty yards of him, he had not heard the 
horse's tread. I thought he was a lioness, and, 
dismounting, took a rest in my saddle on the Old 
Gray, and sent a bullet into him. He sprang to his 
feet and ran half way down the river's bank, and 
stood to look about him, when I sent a second 
bullet into his person, and he disappeared over the 



128 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

bank. The ground being very dangerous, I did not 
disturb him by following then, but I at once sent 
Iluyter back to camp for the dogs. Presently he 
-eturned with Wolf and Boxer, very much done up 
with the sun. I rode forward, and, on looking over 
the bank, the leopard started up and sneaked off 
alongside of the tall reeds, and was instantly out 
of sight. I fired a random shot from the saddle to 
encourage the dogs, and shouted to them ; they, 
however, stood looking stupidly around, and would 
not take up his scent at all. I led them over his 
spoor, again and again, but to no purpose ; the dogs 
seemed quite stupid, and yet they were Wolf and 
Boxer, my two best. 

At length I gave it up as a lost affair, and was 

iding down the river's bank, when I heard Wolf 

,ive tongue behind me, and, galloping back, found 

lim at bay with the leopard, immediately beneath 

here I had fired at him • he was very severely 

vounded, and had slipped down into the river's bed 

,nd doubled back, whereby he had thrown out both 

he dogs and myself. As I approached, he flew out 

pon Wolf and knocked him over, and then, running 

p the bed of the river, took shelter in a thick 

ush: Wolf, however, followed him, and at this 

noment my other dogs came up, having heard 

the shot, and bayed him fiercely. He sprang out 



BY LAND AND SEA. 129 

upon them, and then crossed the river's bed, taking 
shelter beneath some large tangled roots on the 
opposite bank. As he crossed the river, I put a 
third bullet into him, firing from the saddle, and, as 
soon as he came to bay, I gave him a 'fourth, which 
finished him. This leopard was a very fine old 
male ; in the conflict, the unfortunate Alert was 
wounded, as usual, getting his face torn open ; he 
was still going upon three legs, with all his breast 
laid bare by the first water-buck. 

In the evening I directed my Hottentots to 
watch a fine pool in the river, and do their best, 
while I rode to a distant pool several miles up the 
Ngotwani, reported as very good for game, to lie all 
night and watch : my Totties, however, fearing 
" Tao," disobeyed me. On reaching the water I 
was bound for, I found it very promising, and, 
having fastened my two horses to a tree beneath 
the river's bank, I prepared a place of concealment 
close by, and laid clown for the night. 

The river's banks on each side were clad with 

groves of shady thorn trees. After I had lain some 

time, squadrons of buffaloes were heard coming on, 

until the shady grove on the east bank of the water 

immediately above me was alive with them. After 

some time the leaders ventured down the river's 

bank to drink, and this was the signal for a general 
G* 



130 JHRILLING ADVENTURES 

rush into the large pool of water : they came on 
like a regiment of cavalry at a gallop, making a 
mighty' din, and obscuring the air with a dense 
cloud of dust. At length I sent a ball into one of 
them, when the most tremendous rush followed up 
the bank, where they all stood still, listening at- 
tentively. I knew that the buffalo was severely 
wounded, but did not hear him fall. Some time 
after, I fired at a second, as they stood on the bank 
above me ; this buffalo was also hard hit, but did 
not then fall. A little after, I fired at a third 
on the same spot ; he ran forty yards, and, falling, 
groaned fearfully : this at once brought on a number 
of the others to butt their dying comrade, according 
to their benevolent custom. I then crept in toward 
them, and, firing my fourth shot, a second buffalo 
ran forward a few yards, and, falling, groaned as the 
last; her comrades, coming up, served her in the 
same manner. A second time I crept in, and, firing 
a fifth shot, a third buffalo ran forward, and fell 
close to her dying comrades : in a few minutes all 
the other buffaloes made off, and the sound of teeth 
tearing at the flesh was heard immediately. 

I fancied it was the hysenas, and fired a shot to 
scare them from the flesh. All was still ; and, being 
anxious to inspect the heads of the buffaloes, I went 
boldly forward, taking the native who accompanied 



BY LAND AND SEA. 131 

/ie, along with me. We were within about five 
yards of the nearest buffalo, when I observed a 
yellow mass lying alongside of him, and at the 
same instant a lion gave a deep growl, — I thought 
it was all over with me. The native shouted 
" Tao," and, springing away, instantly commenced 
blowing shrilly through a charmed piece of bone 
which he wore on his necklace. I retreated to 
the native, and we then knelt down. The lion 
continued his meal, tearing away at the buffalo, and 
growling at his wife and family, who, I found next 
day, by the spoor, had accompanied him. Knowing 
that he would not molest me if I left him alone, I 
proposed to the native to go to our hole and lie 
down, but he would not hear of it, and entreated 
me to fire at the lion. I fired three different shots 
where I thought I saw him, but without any effect ; 
he would not so much as for a moment cease 
munching my buffalo. I then proceeded to lie 
down, and was soon asleep, the native keeping 
watch over our destinies. Some time after mid- 
night other lions were heard coming on from other 
airts, and my old friend commenced roaring so loudly 
that the native thought it proper to wake me. 

The first old lion now wanted to drink, and held 
right away for the two unfortunate steeds, roaring 
terribly. I felt rather alarmed for their safety; but, 



132 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

trusting that the lion had had flesh enough for one 
night, I lay still, and listened with an attentive ear. 
In a few minutes, to my utter horror, I heard him 
spring upon one of the steeds with an angry 
growl, and dash him to the earth ; the steed gave 
a slight groan, and all was still. I listened to hear 
the sound of teeth, but all continued still. Soon 
after this " Tao," was once more heard to be munch- 
ing the buffalo. In a few minutes he came forward, 
and stood on the bank close above us, and roared 
most terribly, walking up and down, as if meditat- 
ing some mischief. I now thought it high time to 
make a fire, and, quickly collecting some dry reeds 
and little sticks, in half a minute we had a cheerful 
blaze. The lion, which had not yet got our wind, 
came forward at once to find out what the deuse 
was up ; but, not seeing to his entire satisfaction 
from the top of the bank, he was proceeding to 
descend by a game-path into the river-bed within a 
few yards of us. I happened at the very moment 
to go to this spot to fetch more wood, and, being 
entirely concealed from the lion's view above by the 
intervening high reeds, we actually met face to face ! 
The first notice I got was his sudden spring to one 
side, accompanied by repeated angry growls, while 
I involuntarily made a convulsive spring backward, 
at the same time giving a fearful shriek, such as I 



BY LAND AND &EA. 133 

never before remember uttering. I fancied, just as 
he growled, he was coming upon me. We now 
heaped on more wood, and kept up a very strong 
fire until the day dawned, the lions feasting beside 
us all the time, notwithstanding the remonstrances 
of the little native, who, with a true Bechuana spirit", 
lamenting the loss of so much good flesh, kept con- 
tinually shouting and pelting them with flaming 
brands. 

The next morning, when it was clear, I arose and 
inspected the buffaloes. The three that had fallen 
were fine old cows, and two of them were partly 
consumed by the lions. The ground all around 
was packed flat with their spoor ; one particular 
spoor was nearly as large as that of a borele. I 
then proceeded to inspect the steeds : the sand 
around them was also covered with the lion's spoor. 
He had sprung upon the Old Gray, but had done 
him no further injury than scratching his back 
through the skin : perhaps the lion had been scared 
by the rheims, or on discovering his spare condition, 
had preferred the buffalo. 






134 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



HUNTING THE WHITE RHINOCEROS, 

LION, BUFFALO, AND GIRAFFE. 

Upon the 9th, says Mr. Cuinming, it rained un- 
ceasingly throughout the clay, converting the rich 
soil on which we were encamped into one mass of 
soft, sticky clay. In the forenoon, fearing the rain 
would continue so as to render the vley (through 
which we must pass to gain the firmer ground) im- 
passible, I ordered my men to prepare to march, 
and leave the tent with its contents standing, the 
point which I wished to gain being distant only 
about five hundred yards. When the oxen were 
inspanned, however, and we attempted to move, we 
found my tackle, which was old, so rotten from the 
effects of the rain, that something gave way at 
every strain. Owing to this and to the softness 
of the vley, we labored on till sundown, and only 
succeeded in bringing one wagon to its destination, 
the other two remained fast in the mud in the 
middle of the vley. Next morning, luckily, the 
weather cleared up, when my men brought over the 
tent, and in the afternoon the other two wagons. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 135 

We followed up the banks of the river for several 
days, with the usual allowance of sport. On the 
16th we came suddenly upon an immense old bull 
muchocho rolling in mud. He sprang to his feet 
immediately he saw me, and, charging up the bank, 
so frightened our horses, that before I could get my 
rifle from my after-rider he was past us. I then 
gave him chase, and, after a hard gallop of about a 
mile, sprang from my horse and gave him a good 
shot behind the shoulder. At this moment a cow 
rhinoceros of the same species, with her calf, charged 
out of some wait-a-bit thorn cover, and stood right 
in my path. Observing that she carried an unusu- 
ally long horn, I turned my attention from the bull 
to her, and, after a very long and severe chase, 
dropped her at the sixth shot. I carried one of my 
rifles, which gave me much trouble, that not being 
the tool required for this sort of work, where quick 
loading is indispensable. 

After breakfast I sent men to cut off the head 
of this rhinoceros, and proceeded with Ruyter to 
take up the spoor of the bull wounded in the morn- 
ing. We found that he was very severely hit, and 
having followed the spoor for about a mile through 
very dense thorn cover, he suddenly rustled out of 
the bushes close ahead of us, accompanied by a 
whole host of rhinoceros birds. I mounted my 



136 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

horse and gave him chase, and in a few minutes 
he had received four severe shots. I managed to 
turn his course toward camp, when I ceased firing, 
as he seemed to be nearly done up, and Ruyter and 
I rode slowly behind, occasionally shouting to guide 
his course. Presently, however, Chukuroo ceased 
taking any notice of us, and held leisurely on for 
the river, into a shallow part of which he walked, 
and, after panting, there and turning about for a 
quarter of an hour, he fell over and expired. This 
was a remarkably fine old bull, and from his denti- 
tion it was not improbable that a hundred summers 
had seen him roaming a peaceful denizen of the for- 
ests and open glades along the fair banks of the 
secluded Mariqua. 

During our march, on the 19th, we had to cross 
a range of very rocky hills, covered with large loose 
stones, and all hands were required to be actively 
employed for about an hour, in clearing them out of 
the way, to permit the wagons to pass. The work 
went on fast and furious, and the quantity of stones 
cleared was immense. At length we reached the 
spot where we were obliged to bid adieu to the 
Mariqua, and hold a westerly course across the 
country for Sicheley. At sundown we halted under 
a lofty mountain, the highest in the district, called 
" Lynchie a Cheny," or the Monkey's Mountain. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 137 

Next day, at an early hour, I rode out with 
Ruyter to hunt, my camp being entirely without 
flesh, and we having been rationed upon very tough 
old rhinoceros for several days past. It was a 
cloudy morning, and soon after starting, it came on 
to rain heavily. I, however, held on, skirting a 
fine, well-wooded range of mountains, and after rid- 
ing several miles I shot a zebra. Having covered 
the carcass well over with branches to protect it 
from the vultures, I returned to camp, and, inspan- 
ning my wagons, took it up on the march. We con- 
tinued trekking on until sundown, when we started 
an immense herd of buffaloes, into which I stalked, 
and shot a huge old bull. 

Our march this evening was through the most 
beautiful country I had ever seen in Africa. We 
skirted an endless range of well-wooded stony 
mountains lying on our left, while to our right the 
country at first sloped gently off, and then stretched 
away into a level green forest, (occasionally inter- 
spersed with open glades,) boundless as the ocean. 
This green forest was, however, relieved in one di- 
rection by a chain of excessively bold, detached, 
well-wooded, rocky, pyramidial mountains, which 
stood forth in grand relief. In advance the picture 
was bounded by forest and mountain ; one bold 
acclivity, in shape of a dome, standing prominent 



138 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

among its fellows. It was a lovely evening : the 
sky, overcast and gloomy, threw an interesting, 
wild, mysterious coloring over the landscape. I 
gazed forth upon the romantic scene before me 
with intense delight, and felt melancholy and sor- 
rowful at passing so fleetingly through it, and could 
not help shouting out, as I marched along, " Where 
is the coward who would not dare to die for such 
aland?" 

In the morning we held for a fountain some miles 
ahead, in a gorge in the mountains. As we ap- 
proached the fountain, and were passing close under 
a steep, rocky, hillside, well wooded to its summit, 
I unexpectedly beheld a lion stealing up the rocky 
face, and, halting behind a tree, he stood overhaul- 
ing us for some minutes. I resolved to give him 
battle, and, seizing my rifle, marched against him, 
followed by Carey carrying a spare gun, and by 
three men leading my dogs, now reduced to eight. 
When we got close in to the base of the moun- 
tain, we found ourselves enveloped' in dense jungle, 
which extended half-way to its summit, and entirely 
obscured from our eyes objects which were quite 
apparent from the wagons. I slipped my dogs, how- 
ever, which, after snuffing about, took right up the 
steep face on the spoor of the lions, for there was a 
troop of them — a lion and three lionesses, 



- 



BY LAND AND SEA. 139 

The people at the wagons saw the chase in per- 
fection. When the lions observed the dogs coming 
on, they took right up, and three of them crossed 
over the sky ridge. The dogs, however, turned one 
rattling old lioness, which came rumbling down 
through the cover, close past me. I ran to meet 
her, and she came to bay in an open spot near the 
base of the mountain, whither I quickly followed, 
and coming up within thirty yards, bowled her over 
with my first shot, which broke her back. My 
second entered her shoulder ; and, fearing that she 
might hurt any of the dogs, as she still evinced 
signs of life, I finished her with a third in the 
breast. The bellies of all the four lions were much 
distended by some game they had been gorging, no 
doubt a buffalo, as a large herd started out of the 
jungle immediately under the spot where the noble 
beasts were first disturbed. 

Showers of rain fell every hour throughout the 
day, so I employed my men in making feldt-schoens, 
or, in other words, African brogues for me. These 
shoes were worthy of a sportsman, being light, yet 
strong, and were entirely composed of the skins of 
game of my shooting. The soles were made of 
either buffalo or cameleopard ; the front part, per- 
haps, of koodoo, or hartebeest, or bushbuck, and the 
Hck of the shoe of lion, or hyaena, or sable antelope, 



140 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

while the rheimpy or thread with which the whole 
was sewed, consisted of a thin strip of the skin of 
a steinbok. 

On the forenoon of this day, I rode forth to hunt, 
accompanied by Ruy ter ; we held west, skirting the 
wooded, stony mountains. The natives had here, 
many years before, waged successful war with ele- 
phants, four of whose skulls I found. Presently I 
came across two sassaybies, one of which I knocked 
over ; but, while I was loading, he regained his legs 
and made off. We crossed a level stretch of forest, 
holding a northerly course for an opposite range of 
green, well-wooded hills and valleys. Here I came 
upon a troop of six fine, old bull buffaloes, into 
which I stalked, and wounded one princely fellow 
very severely, behind the shoulder, bringing blood 
from his mouth ; he, however, made off with his 
comrades, and, the ground being very rough, we 
failed to overtake him. They held for Ngotwani. 
After following the spoor for a couple of miles, we 
dropped it, as it led right away from camp. 

Returning from this chase, we had an adventure 
with another old bull buffalo, which shows the ex- 
treme danger of hunting buffaloes without dogs. 
We started him in a green hollow, among the hills, 
and his course inclining for camp. I gave him 
chase. He crossed the level, broad strath, and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 1 J 3 

made for the opposite densely-wooded range of 
mountains. Along the base of these we followed 
him, sometimes in view, sometimes on the spoor, 
keeping the old fellow at a pace which made him 
pant. At length, rinding himself much distressed, 
he had recourse to a singular stratagem. Doubling 
round some thick bushes, which obscured him from 
our view, he found himself beside a small pool of 
rain-water, just deep enough to cover his body; into 
this he walked, and, facing about, lay gently down 
and aw T aited our on-coming, with nothing but his 
old, gray face, and massive horns above the water, 
and these concealed from view by the overhanging 
herbage. 

Our attention was entirely engrossed with the 
spoor, and thus we rode boldly on until within, a few 
feet of him, when, springing to his feet, he made a 
desperate charge after Ruyter, uttering a low, stifled 
roar, peculiar to buffaloes, (somewhat similar to the 
growl of a lion,) and hurled horse and rider to the 
earth with fearful violence. His horn laid the poor 
horse's haunch open to the bone, making the most 
fearful rugged wound. In an instant, Ruyter re- 
gained his feet and ran for his life, which the buffalo 
observing, gave chase, but most fortunately came 
down, with a tremendous somersault, in the mud, 
bis feet slipping from under him ; thus the bushman 



144 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

escaped certain destruction. The buffalo rose much 
discomfitted, and, the wounded horse first catching 
his eye, he went a second time after him ; but he 
got out of the way. At this moment, I managed 
to send one of my patent pacificating pills into his 
shoulder, when he instantly quitted the field of 
action, and sought shelter in a dense cover on the 
mountain side, whither I deemed it imprudent to 
follow him. 



A LEOPARD HUNT. 

The dense jungles of Bengal was the place of the 
leopard's resort, and the havoc which it committed 
among the cattle was prodigious. It was dreaded, 
far and near, on this account, by the natives, and 
they scrupulously avoided their spotted enemy, 
knowing well that when his appetite was whetted 
with hunger, he was not over scrupulous whether 
his victims were beasts or men. On one occasion, 
the monster made a dash upon a herd of beeves, 
and succeeded in carrying off a large ox ; and loud 
was the lament of the poor Hindoos that one of the 
sacred herd had thus unceremoniously been assailed 



BY LAND AND SEA. 145 

a«(l slaughtered before their eyes. A party of the 
Bengal native infantry, consisting of an officer and 
five others, having been informed of the circum- 
stance, followed in the direction of the leopard's den, 
determined, if possible, to punish him for this and 
the many other depredations he had committed. 
Having come to an intervening ravine, they were 
about to cross it, when they saw the object of their 
search on the opposite side. There he was, lying in 
his lair, heedless of danger, and luxuriously feasting 
on the carcass of his captive. It was the monster's 
last meal, however. The party approached with 
stealthy steps, as near as they could without cross- 
ing the defile. if Take your aim ! fire ! " cried the 
captain, in Hindostanee, w T e suppose. They did so, 
and four balls pierced the leopard, three in the neck 
and one in a more dangerous place, through the brain. 
Startled by this unpleasant salute, the animal rose, 
gazed with glaring eyes on its enemies, at the same 
time pawing the earth in its pain fury. 

The sepoys were astonished that he did not roll 
lifeless at their feet ; but, instead of this, before they 
had time to reload, the creature, after uttering a ter- 
rific cry, sprang across the ravine and siezed one of 
its assailants. It must have been, in some degree, 
weakened by its wounds ; but its strength was yet 
great, for the man seemed to have no power of 



146 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

resistance to its attack. The leopard, having a hold 
of the sepoy in its mouth, darted off in the direction 
of a jungle close at hand, the other soldiers follow- 
ing up as fast as they could, but not daring to fire, 
lest they should injure their luckless comrade 
Sometimes they lost sight of the leopard and its 
bleeding burden ; but the blood marks on the grass 
or on the sand enabled them to regain the trail, and 
to carry on the pursuit. The animal at length came 
to a small river; it hesitated for a little on the 
brink, and then leaped in, still tenaciously retaining 
its prey. The stoppage thus occasioned enabled the 
pursuers to gain ground, and, just after the leopard 
had emerged from the river, and was shaking its 
skin free from the watery drops, one of the party 
seized the auspicious moment, and fired. The beast 
dropped its prey at once, howled furiously, and then 
fell dead. To their great surprise and joy, the 
soldiers found, that their comrade was still in life, 
though he had fainted from fear and from weakness 
occasioned by the loss of blood. He gradually recov- 
ered, and, under the stimulating influence of a cup 
of brandy, was able to proceed home with his com- 
rades. It was many weeks, however, bfeore he 
was fit for service, and he will retain till his dying 
day the dental marks received from the leopard, by 
way of token what it would like to have done with 



BY LAND AND SEA. 147 

him had there been none but themselves two on the 
desert wide. 

The soldiers returned, some time after, and 
skinned the animal, carrying home its spotted cov- 
ering for a trophy ; and now, here it is, with the 
marks- of the musket-balls upon it, remembrances 
of the strange story we have now recounted. 



LIFE IN CALIFORNIA. 

Every man, both honest and dishonest, in Cali- 
fornia, has his own horse — as a very good-looking, 
active one can be purchased, tamed to carry the 
saddle and rider, from the Indians, for four or five 
dollars; so that every one, I may add, of both 
sexes, ride in California. No one walks far but the 
hunter, and he is carried in canoe a long way up the 
river before he strikes into the forest after the ani- 
mals he is in pursuit of. This last class of men are 
the most wild, daring, yet friendly and honest, of 
the lower class of the white population of Califor- 
nia. Well : as the robber as well as the honest man 
are equally mounted, sometimes a very interesting 



148 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

steeple chase ensues, — ground rough, not being pre 
viously chosen, occasionally leaping over pools of 
water, large stones, and fallen trees. The Indians 
who use the lasso, generally keep the lead, to strive 
to throw the noose over either the man or horse 
they are pursuing. It is made of thongs of bullock- 
hide twisted into a small rope about thirty or forty 
feet long, with a noose formed by a running knot at 
the end of it. One end of the lasso is fastened to 
the back of the saddle : the entire length of it is 
kept in a coil on the right hand, and after two or 
three swings of it over theii heads, they will throw 
it with such accuracy that the smallest object will 
come within the noose. Thus, then, if an equestrian 
traveler does not keep a good look-out as he is 
passing by a bush or thicket, one of these lassoes 
may be thrown out ; the noose, falling over his head, 
will be jerked tight round his body, and, in the 
twinkling of an eye, he will be dragged off his 
horse, and away into the bush, to be stripped of 
eve^thing he has. By all the accounts I have 
heard, and from what I have seen, the robbers of 
California are the most active in the world : the end 
of the dangerous lasso being firmly fastened to the 
saddle, enables the rider, as soon as his victim, 
either man or animal, is noosed, to wheel round his 
horse, and dash off like an Arab, dragging whatever 



BY LAND AND SEA. 149 



he has fast after him. There is one method of 
averting the fall of the lasso noose over the body of 
a man, either on foot or horseback. If he holds, as 
he always ought, either sword or gun in his right 
hand, when he sees the lasso coming, let him in- 
stantly raise either and his arm in a horizontal posi- 
tion, and if the noose does fall true, it cannot run 
further down, being stopped by sword, gun, or 
extended arm ; then fling it off quick, or it may be 
jerked tight round the neck. I have known this 
subterfuge save many a man from robbers and per- 
haps murderers. 

I once hunted for three months in company with 
a hunter well known in California. In idea, he was 
wild and imaginative in the extreme ; but, in his acts 
of daring, &c, the most cool and philosophic fellow 
I ever knew. A commercianto, or merchant, at San 
Francisco, on whose veracity I know from expe- 
rience I can depend, told me the following story of 
this man, which will at once illustrate his general 
character. This hunter was, some months before I 
had fallen in with him, making the best of his way 
down the valley of the Tule Lakes from the interior, 
with a heavy pack of furs on his back, his never- 
erring rifle in his hand, and his two dogs by his 
side. He was joined at the northermost end of the 
valley by the merchant I had spoken of, who was 



150 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

armed only with sword and pistols. They had 
scarcely cleared the valley, when a party of robbers 
galloped out before them. There were four whites, 
fully armed, and two Indians with the lassos coiled 
up in their right hands, ready for a throw. The 
hunter told the merchant, who was on horseback, to 
dismount instantly, "and to cover." Fortunately 
for them, there was a good deal of thicket, and 
trunks of large trees that had fallen were strewed 
about in a very desirable manner. Behind these 
logs the merchant and the hunter quickly took up 
their position, and as they were in the act of doing 
so, two or' three shots were fired after them without 
effect. The hunter coolly untied the pack of furs 
from his back, and laid them beside him. " It 's my 
opinion, merchant," said he, " that them varmint 
there wants either your saddle-bags or my pack, but 
I reckon they '11 get neither." So he took up his 
rifle, fired, and the foremost Indian, lasso in hand, 
rolled off his horse. Another discharge from the 
rifle, and the second Indian fell, while in the act of 
throwing his lasso at the head and shoulders of the 
hunter, as he raised himself from behind the log to 
fire. " Now," said the hunter, as he reloaded, lay- 
ing on his back to avoid the shots of the robbers, 
"that's what I call the best of the scrimmage, to 
get them brown thieves with their lassoes out of the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 151 

way first. See them rascally whites now jumping 
over the logs to charge us in our cover." They 
were fast advancing, when the rifle again spoke out, 
and the foremost fell ; they still came on to within 
about thirty yards, when another fell; and the 
remaining two made a desperate charge up close to 
the log. The hunter, from long practice, was dex- 
terous in reloading his gun. " Now, merchant," 
said he, " is the time for your pop-guns, (meaning 
the pistols,) and don't be at all narvous, keep a 
steady hand, and drop either man or horse. A man 
of them sha n't escape." The two remaining rob- 
bers were now up with the log, and fired each a 
pistol-shot at the hunter, which he escaped by dodg- 
ing behind a tree close to, from which he fired with 
effect. As only one robber was left, he wheeled 
round his horse with the intention of galloping off, 
when the pistol-bullets of the merchant shot the 
horse from under him. "Well done, merchant," 
said the hunter, " you 've stopped that fellow's gal- 
lop." As soon as the robber could disentangle him- 
self from the fallen horse, he took to his heels and 
ran down a sloping ground as fast as he could. The 
hunter drew his tomahawk from his belt, and gave 
chase after him. As he was more of an equestrian 
than a pedestrian, the nimbleness of the hunter soon 
shortened the distance between them, and the last 



152 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

of the robbers fell. Thus perished this dangerous 
gang of six, by the single hand of this brave hunter, 
and, as the " commercianto " informed me, he acted 
as coolly and deliberately as if he were shooting 
tame bullocks for the market. The affair was rather 
advantageous to the hunter, for, on searching the 
saddle-bags and pockets of the robbers, he pulled 
forth some doubloons, and a few dollars, with other 
valuables they had, no doubt, a short time previous- 
ly, taken from some traveler ; the saddle-bags, arms, 
and accouterments of the four white men, were 
packed up, made fast on the saddles of the two 
horses, and the hunter mounted a third, the mer- 
chant mounted another, hj' Horse being shot, and 
thus they left the scene of acv^i, the bodies of the 
robbers to the wolves, who were howling about 
them, and entered San Francisco in triumph. 



BY LAND AND SEA. loo 



A STORM AMONG THE ICEBERGS. 

To prevent the ships separating during the fog, 
it was necessary to keep fast to the heavy piece of 
ice which we had between them as a fender, and 
with a reduced amount of sail on them, we made 
some way through the pack : as we advanced in 
this novel mode to the south-west, we found the ice 
became more open, and the westerly swell increas- 
ing as the wind veered to the north-west, at mid- 
night, we found it impossible any longer to hold on 
by the floe piece. All our hawsers breaking in suc- 
cession, we made sail on the ships, and kept com- 
pany, during the thick fog, by firing guns, and by 
means of the usual signals : under the shelter of a 
berg of nearly a mile in diameter, we dodged about 
during the whole day, waiting for clear weather, 
that we might select the best lead through the dis- 
persing pack ; but at nine p. M. the wind suddenly 
freshened to a violent gale from the northward, 
compelling us to reduce our sails to a close-reefed 

main-topsail and storm-staysails : the sea quickly 

7* 



154 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

rising to a fearful height, breaking over the loftiest 
bergs, we were unable any longer to hold our 
ground, but were driven into the heavy pack under 
our lee. Soon after midnight, our ships were in- 
volved in an ocean of rolling fragments of ice, hard 
as floating rocks of granite, which were dashed 
against them by the waves with so much violence, 
that their masts quivered as if they would fall, at 
every successive blow ; and the destruction of the 
ships seemed inevitable from the tremendous shocks 
they received. By backing and filling the sails, we 
endeavored to avoid collision with the larger masses ; 
but this was not always possible : in the early part 
of the storm, the rudder of the Erebus was so much 
damaged as to be no longer of any use ; and about 
the same time, I was informed by signal that the 
Terror's was completely destroyed, and nearly torn 
away from the stern-post. We had hoped that, as 
we drifted deeper into the pack, we should get be- 
yond the reach of the tempest ; but in this we were 
mistaken. Hour passed away after hour without 
the least mitigation of the awful circumstances in 
which we were placed. Indeed, there seemed to be 
but little probability of our ships holding together 
much longer, so frequent and violent were the 
shocks they sustained. The loud, crashing noise 
of the straining and working of the timbers and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 155 

decks, as she was driven against some of the heavier 
pieces, which all the activity and exertions of our 
people could not prevent, was sufficient to fill the 
stoutest heart, that was not supported by trust in 
Him, who controls all events, with dismay. 

At two p. M. the storm gained its height, when 
the barometer stood at 28*40 inches, and, after that 
time, began to rise. Although we had been forced 
many miles deeper into the pack, we could not per- 
ceive that the swell had at all subsided, our ships 
still rolling and groaning amid the heavy fragments 
of crushing bergs, over which the ocean rolled its 
mountainous waves, throwing huge masses one upon 
another, and then again burying them deep beneath 
its foaming waters, dashing and grinding them to- 
gether with fearful violence. The awful grandeur 
of such a scene can neither be imagined nor de- 
scribed, far less can the feelings of those who wit- 
nessed it be understood. Each of us secured our 
hold, waiting the issue with resignation to the will 
of Him who alone could preserve us, and bring us 
safely through this extreme danger ; watching with 
breathless anxiety the effect of each succeeding col- 
lision, and the vibrations of the tottering masts, 
expecting every moment to see them give way, 
without our having the power to make an effort to 
save them, 



156 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Although the force of the wind had somewhat 
diminished by four o'clock, yet the squalls came on 
with unabated violence, laying the ship over on 
her broadside, and threatening to blow the storm- 
sails to pieces; fortunately they were quite new, 
or they never could have withstood such terrific 
gusts. At this time, the Terror was so close to 
us, that, when she rose to the top of one wave, tho 
Erebus was on the top of that next to leeward of 
her ; the deep chasm between them filled with 
heavy rolling masses ; and, as the ships descended 
into the hollow between the waves, the main-topsail 
yard of each could be seen just level with the crest 
of the intervening wave, from the deck of the other : 
from this, some idea may be formed of the height 
of the waves, as well as of the perilous situation 
of our ships. The night now began to draw on, and 
cast its gloomy mantle over the appalling scene, 
rendering our condition, if possible, more hopeless 
and helpless than before ; but, at midnight, the 
snow, which had been falling thickly for several 
hours, cleared away, as the wind suddenly shifted 
to the westward, and the swell began to subside ; 
and although the shocks our ships still sustained 
were such that must have destroyed any ordinary 
yessel in less than five minutes, yet they were feeble 
compared to those to which we had been exposed. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 157 

and our minds became more at ease for their ulti- 
mate safetv. 

During the darkness of night and the thick 
weather, we had been carried through a chain of 
bergs which were seen in the morning considerably 
to windward, and which served to keep off the 
heavy pressure of the pack, so that we found the 
ice much more open, and I was enabled to make my 
way, in one of our boats, to the Terror, about whose 
condition I was most anxious — for I was aware that 
her damages were of a much more serious nature 
than those of the Erebus, notwithstanding the skill- 
ful and seaman-like manner in which she had been 
managed, and by which she maintained her appoint- 
ed station throughout the gale. I found that her 
rudder was completely broken to pieces, and the 
fastenings to the stern-post so much strained and 
twisted, that it would be difficult to get the spare 
rudder, with which we were fortunately provided, 
fitted so as to be useful, and could only be done, if 
at all, under very favorable circumstances. The 
other damages she had sustained were of less con- 
sequence ; and it was as great a satisfaction as it 
has ever since been a source of astonishment to us 
to find that, after so many hours of constant and 
violent thumping, both the vessels were nearly as 
tight as they were before the gale. We can only 



, 



158 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

ascribe this to the admirable manner in which they 
had been fortified for the service, and to our 
having their holds so stowed as to form a solid 
mass throughout. 



FALL OF THE ROSSBERG. 

The summer of 1806 had been very rainy; and 
on the first and second of September it rained 
incessantly. New crevices were observed in the 
Qank of the mountain ; a sort of cracking noise was 
heard internally ; stones started out of the ground ; 
detached fragments of rocks rolled down the moun- 
tain. At two o'clock in the afternoon, on the 2d 
of September, a large rock became loose, and in 
falling, raised a cloud of black dust. Toward the 
lower part of the mountain, the ground seemed 
pressed down from above ; and, when a stick or a 
spade was driven in, it moved of itself. A man 
who had been digging in his garden ran away, from 
fright at these extraordinary appearances; soon a 
fissure, larger than all the others, was observed ; 
insensibly, it increased : springs of water ceased, all 



BY LAND AND SEA. 159 

at once to flow, the pine trees of the forest absolute- 
ly reeled ; the birds flew away screaming. A few 
minutes before five o'clock, the symptoms of some 
mighty catastrophe became still stronger ; the whole 
surface of the mountain seemed to glide down, but 
so slowly as to afford time to the inhabitants to go 
away. An old man, who had often predicted some 
such disaster, was quietly smoking his pipe ; when 
told by a young man running by, that the mountain 
was in the act of falling, he rose and looked out, but 
came into his house again, saying he had time to fill 
another pipe. The young man, continuing to fly, 
was thrown down several times, and escaped with 
difficulty ; looking back, he saw the house carried 
off, all at once. 

Another inhabitant, being alarmed, took two of 
his children, and ran away with them, calling to his 
wife to follow with the third; but she went in for 
another, who still remained, (Marianne, aged five ;) 
just then, Francisca Ulrich, their servant, was cross- 
ing the room with this Marianne, whom she held by 
the hand, and saw her mistress ; at that instant, as 
Francisca afterward said, " the house appeared to be 
torn from its foundation, (it was of wood,) and spun 
round and round like a teetotum ; I was sometimes 
on my head, and sometimes on my feet, in total 
darkness, and violently separated from the child." 



160 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

When the motion stopped, she found herself jammed 
in on all sides, with her head downward, much 
bruised, and in extreme pain. She supposed she 
was buried alive, at a great depth ; with much diffi- 
culty, she disengaged her right hand, and wiped the 
blood from her eyes. Presently, she heard the faint 
moans of Marianne, and called her by her name ; 
the child answered that she was on her back, among 
stones and bushes, which held her fast, but that her 
hands were free, and that she saw the light, and 
then something green ; she asked whether people 
would not come soon to take them out. 

Francisca answered that it was the day of judg- 
ment, and that no one was left to help them, but 
that they would be released by death, and be happy 
in Heaven. They prayed together; at last Fran- 
cisca's ear was struck by the sound of a bell, which 
she knew to be that of Stenenberg ; then seven 
o'clock struck in another village, and she began to 
hope there were still living beings, and endeavored 
to comfort the child ; the poor little girl was at first 
clamorous for her supper; but her cries soon became 
fainter, and at last quite died away. Francisca, still 
with her head downward, and surrounded with 
damp earth, experienced a sense of cold in her feet 
almost insupportable ; after prodigious efforts, she 
succeeded in disengaging her legs, and thinks this 



BY LAND AND SEA. 101 

saved her life. Many hours had passed in this sit- 
uation, when she again heard the voice of Mari- 
anne, who had been asleep, and now renewed her 
lamentations. In the meantime, the unfortunate 
father, who, with much difficulty, had saved himself 
and two children, wandered about till daylight, when 
he came among the ruins to look for the rest of his 
family ; he soon discovered his wife, by a foot which 
appeared above the ground ; she was dead, with a 
child in her arms. His cries, and the noise he made 
in digging, were heard by Marianne, who called out. 
She was extricated, with a broken thigh, and saying 
that Francisca was not far off, a further search lod 
to her release also, but in such a state that her life 
was despaired of. She was blind for some days, and 
remained subject to convulsive fits of terror. It ap- 
peared that the house, or themselves, at least, had 
been carried down about one thousand five hundred 
feet from where it stood before. 

In another place, a child two years old was found 
unhurt, lying on his straw mattress upon the mud, 
without any vestige of the house from which he 
had been separated. Such a mass of earth and 
stones rushed at once into the lake of Sowertev, 
although five miles distant, that one end of it was 
filled up, and a prodigious wave passing completely 
over the island of Schwanau, seventy feet above the 



162 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

usual level of the water, overwhelmed the opposite 
shore, and, as it returned, swept away into the lake 
many houses with their inhabitants. The chapel of 
Olton, built of wood, was found half a league from 
the place it had previously occupied, and many large 
blocks of stone completely changed their position. 

Simond's Switzerland. 



THE RIFLEMAN OF CHIPPEWA. 

At the time of the French and Indian wars, the 
American army was encamped on the plains of 
Chippewa. Colonel St. Clair, the commander, was 
a bold and meritorious officer ; but there was mixed 
with his bravery a large share of rashness or indis- 
cretion. His rashness, in this case, consisted in 
encamping on an open plain beside a thick wood, 
from which an Indian scout could easily pick off his 
his outposts, without being exposed, in the least, to 
the fire of the sentinel. 

Five nights had passed, and every night he had 
been surprised by the disappearance of a sentry, 
who stood at a lonely post in the vicinity of the 
forest. These repeated disasters had struck such a 



BY LAND AND SEA. 

dread into the breasts of the remaining soldiers, that 
no one would volunteer to take the post, and the 
commander, knowing it would be throwing away 
their lives, let it remain unoccupied several nights. 

At length a rifleman of the Virginia corps, volun- 
teered his services. He was told the danger of the 
duty ; but he laughed at the fears of his comrades, 
saying he would return safe, to drink the health 
of his commander in the morning. The guard 
marched up soon after, and he shouldered his rifle, 
and fell in. He arrived at his bounds, and, bidding 
his fellow-sentinels good-night, assumed the duties 
of his post. 

The night was dark, from the thick clouds that 
overspread the firmament. No star shone on the 
sentinel as he paced his lonely path, and naught 
was heard but the mournful hoot of the owl, as she 
raised her nightly wail from the withered branch 
of the venerable oak. At length, a low rustling 
among the bushes on the right, caught his ear. He 
gazed long toward the spot whence the sound 
seemed to proceed ; but saw nothing, save the 
impenetrable gloom of the thick forest which sur- 
rounded the encampment. Then, as he marched 
onward, lie heard the joyful cry of "all's well," 
after which he seated himself upon a stump, and 
fell into a reverie. While he thus sat, a savage 



161 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

entered the open space behind, and, after buckling 
his tunic, with numerous folds, tight around his body, 
drew over his head the skin of a wild boar, with 
the natural appendages of those animals. Thus 
accoutred, he walked past the soldier, who, seeing 
the object approach, quickly stood upon his guard. 
But a well-known grunt eased his fears, and he suf- 
fered it to pass, it being too dark for any one to 
discover the cheat. The beast, as it appeared to be, 
quietly sought the thicket to the left ; it was nearly 
out of sight, when, through a sudden break in the 
clouds, the moon shone bright upon it.' The soldier 
then perceived the ornamented moccasin of an In- 
dian, and, quick as thought, prepared to fire. But, 
fearing lest he might be mistaken, and thus need- 
lessly alarm the camp, and also supposing, if he 
were right, the other savages would be near at 
hand, he refrained, and having a perfect knowledge 
of Indian subtlety and craft, quickly took off his 
coat and cap, and, after hanging them on the stump 
where he had reclined, secured his rifle, and softly 
groped his way toward the thicket. He had barely 
reached it, when the whizzing of an arrow passed 
his head, and told him of the danger he had escaped. 
Turning his eyes toward a small spot of cleared 
land within the thicket, he perceived a dozen of the 
same animals sitting on their hind legs, instead of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 105 

feeding on the acorns, which, at this season, lay 
plentifully upon the surface of the leaves; and, lis- 
tening attentively, he heard them conversing in the 
Iroquois tongue. The substance of their conversa- 
tion was, that, if the sentinel should not discover 
them, the next evening, as soon as the moon should 
afford them sufficient light for their operations, they 
would make an attack upon the American camp. 
They then quitted their rendezvous, and soon their 
tall forms were lost in the gloom of the forest. The 
soldier now returned to his post, and found the 
arrow sunk deep in the stump, it having passed 
through the breast of his coat. 

He directly returned to the encampment, and 
desired the orderly at the marquee to inform the 
commander of his wish to speak with him, having 
information of importance of communicate. He was 
admitted, and, having been heard, the colonel be- 
stowed on him the vacant post of lieutenant of the 
corps, and directed him to be ready, with a picket- 
guard, to march, at eight o'clock in the evening, to 
the spot he had occupied the night before, where he 
was to place his hat and coat upon the stump, and 
Ihen lie in ambush for the intruders. Accordingly, 
the party proceeded, and obeyed the colonel's orders. 
The moon rose, but shone dimly through the thick 
branches of the forest. 






166 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

While the new lieutenant was waiting the result 
of his manceuver, an arrow whizzed from the same 
quarter as before. The mock soldier fell on his 
face. A dozen subdued voices sounded from within 
the thicket, which were soon followed by the sudden 
appearance of the Indians themselves. They barely 
reached the stump, when our hero gave the order to 
fire, and the whole band were stretched dead upon 
the plain. After stripping them of their arms and 
trappings, the Americans returned to the camp. 

Twelve chiefs fell at the destructive fire of the 
white men, and their fall was, undoubtedly, one 
great cause of the French and Indian wars with the 
English. The fortunate rifleman, wdio had origi- 
nated and conducted the ambuscade, returned from 
the war, at its termination, with a competency. He 
was not again heard of, until- the parent-country 
raised her arm against the infant colonies. Then 
was seen, at the head of a band of Virginia rifle- 
men our hero as the brave and gallant Colonel 
Morgan. 



J 




LOSS OF THE BLENDENHALL. 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 169 



SHIPWRECK OF THE BLENDENHALL. 

In the year 1821, the Blendenhall, free trader, 
bound from England for Bombay, partly laden with 
broadcloths, was proceeding on her voyage with 
every prospect of a successful issue. While thus 
pursuing her way through the Atlantic, she was 
unfortunately driven from her course, by adverse 
winds and currents, more to the southward and 
westward than was required, and it became desi- 
rable to reach the island of Tristan d'Acunha, in 
order to ascertain and rectify the reckoning. 

It was while steering to reach this group of isl- 
ands, that, one morning a passenger, on board the 
Blendenhall, who chanced to be up on deck earlier 
than usual, observed great quantities of seaweed 
occasionally floating alongside. Tins excited some 
alarm, and a man was immediately sent aloft to 
keep a good look-out. The weather was then ex- 
tremely hazy, though moderate ; the weeds contin- 
ued ; all were on the alert ; they shortened sail, 
and the boatswain piped for breakfast. In less 
than ten minutes, " breakers ahead ! " startled every 



170 BY LAND AND SEA. 

soul, and in a moment all were on deck. " Breakers 
starboard ! breakers larboard ! breakers all around ! " 
was the ominous .cry a moment afterward, and all 
was confusion. The words were scarcely uttered, 
when, and before the helm was up, the ill-fated ship 
struck, and, after a few tremendous shocks against 
the sunken reef, she parted about midship. Ropes 
and stays were cut away — all rushed forward, as 
if instinctiyely, and had barely reached the forecas- 
tle, when the stern and quarter-deck broke asunder 
with a violent crash, and sunk to rise no more. Two 
of the seamen miserably perished — the rest, includ- 
ing officers, passengers, and crew, held on about the 
head and bows — the struggle was for life ! 

At this moment the Inaccessible Island, which 
till then had been vailed in thick clouds and mist, 
appeared frowning above the haze. The wreck was 
more than two miles from the frightful shore. The 
base of the island was still buried in impenetrable 
gloom. In this perilous extremity, one was for 
cutting away the anchor, which had been got up to 
the cathead in time of need ; another was for cut- 
ting down the foremast, the foretop-mast being al- 
ready by the board. The fog totally disappeared, 
and the black, rocky island stood in all its rugged 
deformity before their eyes. Suddenly the sun 
broke out in full splendor, as if to expose more 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 17l 

clearly to the view of the sufferers their dreadful 
predicament. Despair was in every bosom — death, 
arrayed in all its terrors, seemed to hover over the 
wreck. But exertion was required, and every thing 
that human energy could devise was effected. The 
wreck, on which all eagerly clung, was fortunately 
drifted by the tide and wind between ledges of 
sunken rocks and thundering breakers, until, after 
the lapse of several hours, it entered the only spot 
on the island where a landing was possibly practi- 
cable, — for all the other parts of the coast consisted 
of perpendicular cliffs of granite, rising from amid 
the deafening surf to the height of twenty, forty, 
and sixty feet. As the shore was neared, a raft 
was prepared, and on this a few paddled for the 
cove. At last the wreck drove right in : ropes 
were instantly thrown out, and the crew and pas- 
sengers, (except two who had been crushed in the 
in the wreck,) including three ladies and a female 
attendant, were snatched from the watery grave, 
which a few short hours before had appeared inevi- 
table, and safely landed on the beach. Evening had 
now set in, and every effort was made to secure 
whatever could be saved from the wreck. Bales 
of cloth, cases of wine, a few boxes of cheese, some 
hams, the carcass of a milch cow that had been 
washed on shore, buckets, tubs, butts, a seaman's 



172 BY LAND AND SEA. 

chest, (containing a tinder-box, and needles and 
. thread,) with a number of elegant mahogany turned 
bed-posts, and part of an investment for the India 
market, were got on shore. The rain poured down 
in torrents — all hands were busily at work to pro- 
cure shelter from the weather ; and with the bed- 
posts and broadcloths, and part of the foresail, as 
many tents were soon pitched as there were indi- 
viduals on the island. 

Drenched with the sea and with the rain, hungry, 
cold, and comfortless, thousands of miles from their 
native land, almost beyond expectation of human 
succor, hope nearly annihilated, — the shipwrecked 
voyagers retired to their tents. In the morning the 
wreck had gone to pieces ; and planks, and spars, 
and whatever had floated in, were eagerly dragged 
on shore. No sooner was the unfortunate ship bro- 
ken up, than, deeming themselves freed from the 
bonds of authority, many began to secure whatever 
came to land : and the captain, officers, passengers, 
and crew were now reduced to the same level, and 
obliged to take their turn to fetch water, and ex- 
plore the island for food. The work of exploring 
was soon over — there was not a bird, nor a quad- 
ruped, nor a single tree to be seen. All was barren 
and desolate. The low parts were scattered over 
with stones and sand, and a few stunted weeds, 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 173 

rocks, ferns, and other plants. The top of the 
mountain was found to consist of a fragment of 
original table-land, very marshy, and full of deep 
sloughs, intersected with small rills of water, pure 
and pellucid as crystal, and a profusion of wild pars- 
ley and celery. The prospect was one dreary scene 
of destitution, without a single ray of hope to re- 
lieve the misery of the desponding crew. After 
some days, the dead cow, hams, and cheese were 
consumed ; and, from one end of the island to the 
other, not a morsel of food could be seen. Even 
the celery began to fail. A few bottles of wine, 
which for security had been secreted under ground, 
only remained. Famine now began to threaten. 
Every stone near the sea was examined for shell- 
fish, but in vain. 

In this dreadful extremity, and while the half- 
famished seamen w T ere at night squatting in sullen 
dejection around their fires, a large lot of sea-birds, 
allured by the flames, rushed into the midst of 
them, and were greedily laid hold of as fast as they 
could be seized. For several nights in succession, 
similar flocks came in; and, by multiplying their 
fires, a considerable supply was secured. These 
visits, however, ceased at length, and the wretched 
party were exposed again to the most severe pri- 
vation. When, their stock of wild fowl had been 



174 BY LAND AND SEA. 

exhausted for more than two days, each began to 
fear they were now approaching that sad point of 
necessity, when, between death and casting lots 
who should be sacrificed to serve for food for the 
rest, no alternative remained. While horror at the 
bare contemplation of an extremity so repulsive occu- 
pied the thoughts of all, the horizon was observed 
to be suddenly obscured, and presently clouds of 
penguins alighted on the island. The low grounds 
were actually covered ; and before the evening was 
dark, the sand could not be seen for the number of 
eggs, which, like a sheet of snow, lay on the sur- 
face of the earth. The penguins continued on the 
island four or five days, when, as if by signal, the 
whole took their flight, and were never seen again. 
A few were killed, but the flesh was so extremely 
rank and nauseous that it could not be eaten. The 
eggs were collected and dressed in all manner of 
ways, and supplied abundance of food for upward 
of three weeks. At the expiration of that period, 
famine once more seemed inevitable; the third 
morning began to dawn upon the unfortunate com- 
pany after their stock of eggs were exhausted ; 
they had now been without food for more than 
forty hours, and were fainting and dejected; when, 
as though this desolate rock were really a land of 
miracles^ a man came running up to the encampment 



TIIRILLING ADVENTURES 175 

with the unexpected and joyful tidings that "mil- 
lions of sea-cows had come on shore." The crew 
climbed over the ledge of rocks that flanked their 
tents, and the sight of a shoal of manatees imme- 
diately beneath them, gladdened their hearts. These 
came in with the flood, and were left in the puddles 
between the broken rocks of the cove. This supply 
continued for two or three weeks. The flesh was 
mere blubber, and quite unfit for food, for not a 
man could retain it on his stomach ; but the liver 
was excellent, and on this they subsisted. In the 
meantime, the carpenter with his gang had con- 
structed a boat^ and four of the men had adventured 
in her for Tristan d'Acunha, in hopes of ultimately 
extricating their fellow-sufferers from their peril- 
ous situation. Unfortunately the boat was lost — 
whether carried away by the violence of the currents 
that set in between the islands, or dashed to pieces 
against the breakers, was never known, for no ves- 
tige of the boat or crew was ever seen. Before the 
manatees, however, began to quit the shore, a sec- 
ond boat was launched ; and in this an officer and 
some seamen made a second attempt, and happily 
succeeded in effecting a landing, after much labor, 
on the island. 

It was to this island that the boat's crew of the 
Blendenhall had bent their course, and its principal 



— _=_ 



176 BY LAND AND SEA. 

inhabitant, Governor Glass, showed them every mark 
of attention. On learning the situation of the crew, 
on Inaccessible Island, he instantly launched his 
boat, and, unawed by considerations of personal dan- 
ger, hastened, at the risk of his life, to deliver his 
shipwrecked countrymen from the calamities they 
had so long endured. He made repeated trips, sur- 
mounted all difficulties, and fortunately succeeded 
in safely landing them on his own island, after they 
had been exposed for nearly three months to the 
horrors of a situation almost unparalleled in the 
recorded sufferings of seafaring men. 

After being hospitably treated by Glass and his 
company for three months, the survivors obtained 
a passage to the Cape, all except a young sailor 
named White, who had formed an attachment to 
one of the servant girls on board, and who, in all 
the miseries which had been endured, had been her 
constant protector and companion ; while gratitude 
on her part prevented her wishing to leave him. 
Both chose to remain, and were forthwith adopted 
as free citizens of the little community. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 177 



ADVENTURES OF SERGEANT CHAMPE 

IN mS ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE ARNOLD. 

The treason of General Arnold, the capture of 
Andre, and the intelligence received by Washington 
through his confidential agents in New York, that 
many of his officers, and especially a major-general, 
whose name was given, were connected with Arnold, 
could not fail to arouse the anxiety and vigilance of 
the commander-in-chief. The moment he reached 
the army, then under the orders of Major-General 
Greene, encamped in the vicinity of Tappan, he 
sent for Major Lee, who was posted with the light 
troops some distance in front. 

Lee repaired to headquarters, and found Wash- 
ington in his marquee alone, busily engaged in writ- 
ing. Lee was requested to take a seat; and a 
bundle of papers, lying on the table, was given to 
him for perusal. The purport of these tended to 
show that Arnold was not alone in his base conspir- 
acy, but that a major-general, whose name was not 
concealed, was also implicated. This officer had 
enjoyed, without interruption, the confidence of the 



178 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

commander-in-chief, nor did there exist a single 
reason in support of the accusation. It altogether 
rested on the intelligence derived from the papers 
before him. 

Major Lee was naturally shocked at these suspi- 
cions, and suggested that they were an invention of 
the enemy. Washington admitted the plausibility 
of the suggestion, but remarked that he had the 
same confidence in Arnold, a few days before, that 
he now placed in the persons accused. 

After some further conversation, Washington dis- 
closed a project, which he had maturely revolved in 
his own mind. " I have sent for you," he remarked 
to Lee, " to learn if you have in your corps any in- 
dividual capable of undertaking a delicate and haz- 
ardous enterprise. Whoever comes forward on this 
occasion will lay me under great obligations person- 
ally; and, in behalf of the United States, I will 
reward him amply. No time js to be lost. He 
must proceed, if possible, this night. My object is 
to probe to the bottom the affecting suspicions sug- 
gested by the papers you have just read — to seize 
Arnold, and, by getting him, to save Andre. While 
my emissary is engaged in preparing for the seizure 
of Arnold, the agency of others can be traced ; and 
the timely delivery of Arnold to me, will possibly 
put it in my power to restore the amiable and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 179 

unfortunate Andre to his friends. My instructions 
are ready,- in which you will find express orders, 
that Arnold is not to be hurt ; but that he be per- 
mitted to escape, if it can be prevented only by 
killing him, as his public punishment is the only 
object in view. This you can not too forcibly press 
upon the person who may engage in the enterprise ; 
and this fail not to do. With my instructions, are 
two letters, to be delivered as ordered, and here are 
some guineas to defray expenses." 

Lee replied, that, as the first step to the enter- 
prise was pretended desertion, it would be difficult 
to find a commissioned officer, who would undertake 
it. He knew, however, a sergeant-major of the 
cavalry, named Champe, who was in all respects 
qualified for the delicate and adventurous project. 
Champe was a native of Loudon county, in Virginia, 
about twenty years of age. He had enlisted in 
1776; was rather above the common size, full of 
bone and muscle, with a saturnine countenance, 
grave, thoughtful, and taciturn ; of tried courage and 
inflexible perseverance. 

Washington was satisfied with this description, 
and exclaimed that Champe was the very man for 
the enterprise. Lee promised to persuade him to 
undertake it. and, taking leave of the general, 
returned to the camp of the light corps, which he 



180 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

reached about eight o'clock at night. Sending in- 
stantly for the serjeant-major, he informed him of 
the project of the commander-in-chief; and urged 
upon him, that, by succeeding in the capture and 
safe delivery of Arnold, he would not only gratify 
his general in the most acceptable manner, but would 
be hailed as the avenger of the reputation of the 
army, stained by a foul and wicked perfidy ; and, 
what could not but be highly pleasing, he would be 
the instrument of saving the life of Major Andre. 

Champe listened with attention to the plan un- 
folded by Lee, and replied that it met his approba- 
tion. Even its partial success was likely to lead to 
great good, as it would give relief to Washington's 
mind, and do justice, as he hoped, to suspected inno- 
cence. Champe added, that he was not deterred by 
the danger and difficulty to be encountered, but by 
the ignominy of desertion, consequent upon his en- 
listing with the enemy. It did not comport with 
his feelings to be even suspected of such a crime. 

Lee combated the objections of the sergeant with 
his usual address, and finally subdued his prejudices 
so far, that Champe consented to undertake the en- 
terprise. The instructions of Washington were then 
read to him ; and Lee particularly cautioned him to 
exercise the utmost circumspection in delivering the 
letters, and to take care to withhold from the two 



BY LAND AND SEA. 181 

individuals addressed under feigned names, knowl- 
edge of each other. He was further urged to bear 
in constant recollection the solemn injunction, so 
pointedly expressed in the instructions, of forbear- 
ing to kill Arnold in any event. 

It now remained to arrange the mode of Champe's 
desertion, for, in order to be received favorably by 
the British, it was necessary that he should desert 
under circumstances which should assure them of 
his sincerity. To cross the numerous patrols of 
horse and foot, was no small difficulty, which was 
now increased in consequence of the swarms of 
irregulars, who sometimes ventured down to the 
very point of Paulus Hook, with the hope of picking 
up booty. Evident as were the difficulties in the 
way, no relief could be afforded by Major Lee, lest 
it might induce a belief that he was privy to the 
desertion, which opinion getting to the enemy, 
would peril the life of Champe. The sergeant was 
left to his own resources and management, Lee 
agreeing that in case Champe's departure should be 
discovered before morning, he would take care to 
delay pursuit as long as possible. 

Lee placed in the hands of the sergeant some gold 
for his expenses, and enjoining it upon him to ap- 
prise him of his arrival in New York as soon as 
practicable, bade the adventurous Virginian farewell. 



182 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Champe, pulling out his watch, compared it with 
that of Lee, reminding him of the importance of 
holding back pursuit, which he was convinced would 
take place during the night, and which might be 
fatal, as he would be obliged to adopt a zigzag 
course, in order to avoid the patrols, which would 
consume time. It was now nearly eleven. The 
sergeant returned to camp, and, taking his cloak, 
valise, and orderly-book, he drew his horse from 
the picket, and, mounting, set out upon his novel 
expedition. 

Hardly half an hour had elapsed, when Captain 
Carnes, officer of the day, waited on Major Lee, and, 
with considerable emotion, told him that one of the 
patrol had fallen in with a dragoon, who, on being 
challenged, put spur to his horse, and escaped, 
though vigorously pursued. Lee, complaining of 
the interruption, and pretending to be extremely 
fatigued, answered as if he did not understand what 
had been said, which compelled the captain to repeat 
his remark. 

" Who can the fellow be that was pursued ? " said 
Lee ; " a countryman, probably." 

"No," replied the captain ; " the patrol sufficiently 
distinguished him to know that he was a dragoon ; 
probably from the army, if not, certainly one of 
our own." 



BY LAND AND SEA. 183 

This idea was ridiculed by Lee as improbable, as, 
daring the whole campaign, but a single dragoon 
had deserted from the legion. Carnes was not con- 
vinced. Much apprehension was felt, at that time, 
of the effect of Arnold's example. The captain 
withdrew to examine the squadron of horse, whom 
he had ordered to assemble in pursuance of estab- 
lished usage on similar occasions. He speedily 
returned, stating that the deserter was known ; he 
was no less a person than the sergeant-major, who 
was gone off with his horse, baggage, arms, and 
orderly-book. Sensibly affected at the supposed 
baseness of a soldier, who was generally esteemed, 
Carnes added, that he had ordered a party to pre- 
pare for pursuit, and that lie had come for written 
orders from the major. 

In order to gain time for Champe, Lee expressed 
his belief, that the sergeant had not deserted, but 
had merely taken the liberty to leave camp upon 
private business or pleasure ; an example, Lee said, 
too often set by the officers themselves, destructive 
as it was of discipline, opposed as it was to orders, 
and disastrous as it might prove to the- corps in the 
course of the service. 

Some little delay was thus interposed. Carnes 
began to grow impatient at what seemed the long- 
winded and unseasonable discourse. It being, at 



184 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

length announced, that the pursuing party were in 
readiness, Major Lee directed a change in the 
officer, giving the command to Cornet Middleton. 
His object was to add to the delay. He knew, 
moreover, that, from the tenderness of his disposi- 
tion, Middleton would be reluctant to do any per- 
sonal injury to Champe, in the event of a pursuit. 

Within ten minutes Middleton appeared to receive 
his orders, which were delivered to him, made out 
in the customary form, and signed by the major. 
The directions were, to pursue as far as could be 
done with safety, Sergeant Champe, who was sus- 
pected of deserting to the enemy, and of having 
taken the road to Paulus Hook ; to bring him alive 
to camp, that he might suffer in the presence of the 
army, but to kill him if he resisted or attempted to 
escape after being taken. 

Detaining the cornet a few minutes longer, in ad- 
vising him what course to pursue — urging him to 
take care of the horse and accoutrements, if taken — 
and enjoining him to be on his guard, lest he might, 
by a too eager pursuit, improvidently fall into the 
hands of the enemy — ■ Lee dismissed Middleton 
and his party. A shower of rain had fallen soon 
after Champe's departure, which enabled the pursu- 
ing dragoons to find the trail of his horse ; for, at 
that time, the horses being all shod by our own 



BY LAND AND SEA. 185 

farriers, the shoes were made in the same form ; 
which, with a private mark annexed to the fore 
shoes, and known to the troopers, pointed out 
the trail of our dragoons, and, in this way, was 
often useful. 

When Middleton departed, it was a few minutes 
past twelve, so that Champe had the start of his 
pursuers by little more than an hour. Lee was very 
anxious, and passed a sleepless night. The pursu- 
ing party were, on their part, occasionally delayed 
by the necessary halts to examine the road, as the 
impressions of the horse's shoes directed the course. 
These were, unfortunately, too evident, no other 
horse having passed over the road since the shower. 
When the day broke, Middleton was no longer 
obliged to halt, and he passed on with rapidity. 

As the pursuers ascended an eminence to the 
north of the Tillage of Bergen, Champe was descried 
not more than half a mile in front. Resembling an 
Indian in his vigilance, the sergeant at the same 
moment discovered Middleton and his men, to 
whose object he was no stranger, and giving spur 
to his horse, he determined to outstrip them. Mid- 
dleton, at the same instant, put his horses to the top 
of their speed ; and being, as the legion all were, 
well acquainted with the country, he recollected a 
short route through the woods to the bridge below 



186 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Bergen, which diverged from the great road near 
the Three Pigeons. Reaching the point of separa- 
tion, he halted, and, dividing his party, directed a 
sergeant, with a few dragoons, to take the near cut, 
and possess, with all possible dispatch, the bridge, 
while he, with the rest of his men, followed Champe. 
He could not doubt but that Champe, being thus 
enclosed between him and his sergeant, would de- 
liver himself up. Champe did not forget the short 
cut, and would have taken it, had he not remem- 
bered that it was the usual route of our parties 
when returning in the day from the neighborhood, 
of the enemy. He consequently avoided it, and 
wisely resolved to abandon his intention of getting 
to Paulus Hook, and to seek refuge from two 
British galleys, lying a few miles to the west of 
Bergen. 

This was a station generally occupied by one or 
two galleys. Passing through the village of Bergen, 
Champe took the road toward Elizabethtown Point. 
Middleton's sergeant gained the bridge, where he 
concealed himself, ready to intercept Champe as 
soon as he appeared. In the meantime, Middleton, 
pursuing his course through Bergen, soon arrived, 
also, at the bridge, when, to his mortification, he 
found that Champe had escaped. Returning up the 
road, he inquired of the villagers of Bergen, whether 



BY LAND AND SEA. 187 

a dragoon had been seen that morning preceding his 
party. He was answered in the affirmative, but 
could learn nothing satisfactory as to the route 
taken by the fugitive. While engaged in inquiries 
himself, he spread his party through the village to 
discover the trail of Champe's horse. Some of the 
dragoons hit it, just as the sergeant, leaving the vil- 
lage, reached the road to the point. 

Pursuit was now vigorously renewed, and again 
Chainpe was descried. Apprehending the event, 
he had prepared himself for it by lashing his valise 
and orderly-book on his shoulders, and holding his 
drawn sword in his hand, having thrown away the 
scabbard. The delay occasioned by Champe's pre- 
parations for swimming had brought Middleton 
within two or three hundred yards. As soon as 
Champe got abreast of the galleys, he dismounted, 
and running through the marsh to the river, plunged 
into it, calling on the people in the galley for help. 
This was readily given. They fired on our horse- 
men, and sent a boat to meet Champe, who was 
taken in, carried on board, and conveyed to New 
York, with a letter from the captain of the galley, 
describing the scene, which he had himself wit- 
nessed, of Champe's escape. 

The horse belonging to Champe, with his equip- 
ments, cloak, and sword-scabbard, was recovered by 



188 THKILLING ADVENTURES 

Middleton. About three o'clock in the afternoon, 
our party returned, and the soldiers, seeing the 
horse in the possession of the pursuing party, ex- 
claimed that the deserter had been killed. Major 
Lee, at this heart-rending announcement, rushed 
from his tent, saw the sergeant's horse led by one 
of Middleton's dragoons, and began to reproach him- 
self with having been the means of spilling the 
blood of the faithful and intrepid Champe. Con- 
cealing his anguish, he advanced to meet Middleton, 
but was immediately relieved on seeing the down- 
cast countenance of the officer and his companions. 
From their looks of disappointment, it was evident 
that Champe had escaped, and this suspicion was 
soon confirmed by Middleton's narrative of the issue 
of their pursuit. 

Lee's joy was now as great as his depression had 
been a moment before. He informed Washington 
of the affair, who was sensibly affected by the ac- 
count of Champe's hair-breadth escape, but was 
rejoiced that it was of a character to put at rest the 
suspicions of the enemy, in regard to the supposed 
deserter. 

On the fourth day after Champe's departure, Lee 
received a letter from him, written the day before, 
in a disguised hand, without any signature, and 
stating what had passed, after he got on board the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 189 

galley, where he was kindly received. He was im- 
mediately conducted to New York, and introduced 
to the British commandant, to whom he presented 
a letter from the captain of the galley. Being 
asked to what corps he belonged, and a few other 
general questions, he was sent under, charge of an 
orderly-sergeant to the adjutant-general, who was 
rejoiced to find that he was sergeant-major of 
the legion of horse, hitherto remarkable for their 
fidelity. 

The adjutant-general noted down, in a large folio 
book, some particulars in regard to Champe — his 
size, figure, place of birth, countenance, the color of 
his hair, name of the corps to which he had be- 
longed. After this was finished, he was sent to 
the commander-in-chief in charge of one of the 
staff, with a letter from the adjutant-general. Sir 
Henry Clinton received him very kindly, and de- 
tained him more than an hour, asking many ques- 
tions in regard to the probable fate of Andre — ■ 
whether the example of Arnold's defection had not 
contaminated many of the American officers and 
troops — whether Washington was popular with the 
army, and what means might be employed to induce 
the men to desert. To these various interrogato- 
ries, some of which were perplexing, Champe an- 
swered warily ; exciting, nevertheless, hopes that 



190 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

the adoption of proper measures to encourage de- 
sertion, would probably bring off hundreds of the 
American soldiers, including some of the best 
troops, horse as well as foot. Respecting the fate 
of Andre, he said he was ignorant, though there 
appeared to be a general wish in the army that his 
life might not be taken ; arid that he believed that 
it would depend more on the disposition of Con- 
gress, than on the will of Washington. 

After the close of this long conversation, Sir 
Henry presented Champe with a couple of guin- 
eas, and recommended him to wait on General 
Arnold, who was engaged in raising an American 
legion for the service of his majesty. Arnold ex- 
pressed much satisfaction on being informed of the 
effect of his example, and the manner of Champe's 
escape. He concluded his numerous inquiries by 
assigning quarters to the sergeant". He afterward 
proposed to Champe to join his legion, promising 
him the same station he had held in the rebel ser- 
vice, and further advancement. Expressing his 
wish to retire from the service, and his conviction 
of the certainty of his being hung,- if ever taken by 
the rebels, he begged to be excused from enlistment; 
assuring the general, that should he change his 
mind, he would accept his offer. 

Retiring to the assigned quarters, Champe now 



BY LAND AND SEA. 191 

turned his attention to the delivery of his letters, 
which he could not effect till the next night, and 
then only to one of the two incogniti, to whom he 
was recommended. This man received the sergeant 
with attention, and having read the letter, assured 
him of his faithful cooperation. The object for 
which the aid of this individual was required, re- 
garded those persons implicated in the information 
sent to Washington. Promising to enter with zeal 
upon the investigation, and engaging to transmit 
Champe's letters to Major Lee, he fixed the time 
and place of their next meeting, when they separat- 
ed. A day or two afterward, Champe accepted the 
appointment of recruiting sergeant to Arnold, for 
the purpose of securing uninterrupted ingress and 
egress at the house which the general occupied. 

The letters which Lee received from Champe, an- 
nounced that the difficulties in his way were numer- 
ous and stubborn, and that his prospect of success 
was by no means cheering. With respect to the 
charges against certain officers and soldiers in the 
American army of an intention to follow Arnold's 
example, he expressed his decided conviction that 
they were unfounded ; that they had taken their 
rise in the enemy's camp, and that they would be 
satisfactorily confuted. But the pleasure which 
the latter part of this communication afforded was 



192 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

damped by the tidings it imparted respecting Ar- 
nold — as on his speedy capture and safe delivery 
depended Andre's relief. 

The interposition of Sir Henry Clinton, who was 
extremely anxious to save his much-loved aid-de- 
camp, still continued. It was expected that the 
examination of witnesses in Andre's case and the 
defense of the prisoner, would protract the decision 
of the court of inquiry then assembled, and give 
sufficient time for the consummation of the project 
confided to Champe. This hope was disappointed 
in a manner wholly unexpected. The honorable 
and accomplished Andre disdained defense, and pre- 
vented the examination of witnesses, by confessing 
the character of the mission, in the execution of 
which he was arrested. The court reassembled on 
the second of October. Andre was declared to be 
a spy, and condemned to suffer accordingly. 

The painful sentence was executed on the subse- 
quent day, in the usual form, the commander-in- 
chief deeming it improper to interpose any delay. 
In this decision he was warranted by the unpromis- 
ing intelligence received from Champe — by the 
still existing implication of other officers in Arnold's 
conspiracy — by a due regard -to public opinion, and 
by the inexorable necessity of a severe example. 

The fate of Andre, hastened by himself, deprived 



BY LAND AND SEA. 193 

the enterprise committed to Champe of a feature 
which had been highly prized by the projector, and 
which had ens;ao;ed the heart of the individual se- 
lected for its execution. Washington ordered Major 
Lee to communicate what had passed to the ser- 
geant, with directions to encourage him to prosecute 
with vigor the remaining objects of his instructions. 
Champe bitterly deplored the fate of Andre, and 
confessed that the hope of saving the unfortunate 
young man had been his main inducement in under- 
taking his dangerous enterprise. Nothing now 
remained but to attempt the seizure of Arnold. To 
this object Champe gave his undivided attention. 
Ten days elapsed before he could conclude his 
arrangements, at the end of which time, .Lee re- 
ceived from him his final communication, appointing 
the third subsequent night for a party of dragoons 
to meet him at Hoboken, when he hoped to deliver 
Arnold to the officer. 

From the moment of his enlistment into Arnold's 
corps, Champe had every opportunity he could de- 
sire for watching the habits of that individual. He 
discovered that it was his custom to return home 
about twelve every night, and that, previous to 
going to bed, he generally walked in his garden. 
During this visit, the conspirators were to sieze him, 
gag him, and carry him across the river. 



194 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Adjoining the house in which Arnold resided, 
and in which it was designed to seize and gag him, 
Champe had taken out several of the palings and 
replaced them, so that they might be readily re- 
moved, and open away to the neighboring alley. 
Into this alley he meant to have conveyed his pris- 
oner, aided by his companions, one of two associates 
who had been introduced by the friend to whom 
Champe had been originally made known by letter 
from the commander-in-chief, and with whose aid and 
counsel he had so far conducted the enterprise. His 
other associate was in readiness with the boat at 
one of the wharves on the Hudson river, to receive 
the party. 

Champe and his friend intended to have placed 
themselves each under Arnold's shoulder, and to 
have thus borne him through the most unfrequented 
alleys and streets to the boat ; representing Arnold, 
in case of being questioned, as a drunken sailor, 
whom they were conveying to the guardhouse. The 
passage across the river could be easily accomplished. 

These particulars were communicated by Lee to 
Washington, who directed the former to meet 
Champe, and to take care that Arnold should not 
be hurt. The appointed clay arrived, and Lee with 
a party of dragoons, left camp \nie in the evening, 
with three led horses — one for Arnold, one for the 






BY LAND AND SEA. 195 

sergeant, and the third for his associate. From the 
tenor of the last communication from Champe, no 
doubt was entertained of the success of the enter- 
prise. The party from the American camp reached 
Hobokcn about midnight, where they were con- 
cealed in the adjoining wood — Lee, with three 
dragoons, stationing himself near the river shore. 

Hour after hour passed. No boat approached. At 
length the day broke, and the major retired with 
his party back to the camp, much chagrined at the 
failure of the project. 

In a few days, Lee received an anonymous letter 
from Champe's patron and friend, informing him, 
that on the day preceding the night for the execu- 
tion of the plot, Arnold had removed his quarters 
to another part of the town, to superintend the 
embarkation of troops preparing, as was rumored, 
fur an expedition, to be placed under his own direc- 
tion. The American legion, consisting chiefly of 
American deserters, had been transferred from the 
barracks to one of the transports ; it being appre- 
hended that if left on shore till the expedition was 
ready, many of them might desert. 

Thus it happened that John Champe, instead of 
crossing the Hudson that night, was safely deposited 
on board one of the transports, from which he never 
departed till the troops under Arnold landed in 



196 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Virginia. Nor was he able to escape from the Brit- 
ish army till after the junction of Lord Cornwallis, 
at Petersburgh, when he deserted ; and passing 
through Virginia and North Carolina, safely joined 
the American army soon after it had passed the 
Congaree, in pursuit of Lord Rawdon. 

Champe's appearance excited extreme surprise 
among his former comrades, which was not a little 
increased when they witnessed the cordial reception, 
which he met with from the late Major, now Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Lee. His whole story soon became 
known to the corps, and he became an object of 
increased respect and regard. 

Champe was munificently rewarded, and General 
Washington gave him a discharge from further 
service, lest, in the vicissitudes of war, he might 
fall into the enemy's hands, in which event, if re- 
cognized, he could expect no mercy. Champe 
resided in Loudon county, Virginia, after leaving 
the army. He afterward removed to Kentucky, 
where he died. For a full account of his adven- 
tures, we may refer the reader to Major Lee's Me- 
moirs, to which we have been largely indebted. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 19' 



ADVENTURE WITH PIRATES. 

There lived, not many years ago, on the eastern 
shore of Mt. Desert — a large island off the coast 
of Maine — an old fisherman, by the name of Jedc- 
diah Spinnet, who owned a schooner of some hun- 
dred tons burden, in which he, together Avith some 
four stout sons, was wont to go, about once a year, 
to the Grand Banks, for the purpose of catching 
codfish. The old man had five things, upon the 
peculiar merits of which he loved to boast — his 
schooner, " Betsy Jenkins," and his four sons. The 
four sons were all their father represented them to 
be, and no one ever doubted his word, when he said 
that their like was not to be found for fifty miles 
around. The oldest was thirty-two, while the 
youngest had just completed his twenty-sixth year, 
and they answered to the names of Seth, Andrew, 
John, and Samuel. 

One morning a stranger called upon Jedediah to 
enframe him to take to Havana some iron machinery 
belonging to steam engines for sugar plantations. 
The terms were soon agreed upon, and the old man 



198 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and his sons immediately set about putting the ma- 
chinery on board ; that accomplished, they set sail 
for Havana, with a fair wind, and for several days 
proceeded on their course without any adventure 
of any kind. One morning, however, a vessel was 
descried off their starboard quarter, which, after 
some hesitation, the old man pronounced a pirate. 
There was not much time allowed them for doubt- 
ing, for the vessel soon saluted them with a very 
agreeable whizzing of an eighteen pound shot under 
the stern. 

" That means for us to heave to," remarked the 
old man. 

" Then I guess we 'd better do it had n't we ? " 
said Seth. 

" Of course." 

Accordingly, the Betsy Jenkins was brought up 
into the wind, and her main-boom hauled over to 
windward. 

" Now boys," said the old man, as soon as the 
schooner came to a stand, " all we can do is to be 
as cool as possible, and to trust to fortune. There is 
no way to escape that I can see now ; but, perhaps, 
if we are civil, they will take such stuff as they 
want, then let us go. At any rate there is no use 
crying about it, for it can't be helped. Now get 
your pistols, and see that they are surely loaded, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 199 

and have your knives ready, but be sure and hide 
them, so that the pirates shall see no show of re- 
sistance. In a few moments all the arms which the 
schooner afforded, with the exception of one or two 
old muskets, were secured about the persons of our 
Down Easters, and they quietly awaited the coming 
of the schooner. 

" One word more, boys," said the old man, just as 
the pirate came round under the stern. 

" Now watch every movement I make, and be 
ready to jump the moment I speak." 

As Captain Spinnet ceased speaking, the pirate 
luffed under the fisherman's lee-quarter, and, in a 
moment more, the latter's deck was graced with 
the presence of a dozen as savage-looking mortals 
as eyes ever rested upon. 

" Are you the captain of this vessel," demanded 
the leader of the boarders, as he approached the 
old man. 

"Yes sir." 

" What is your cargo ? " 

" Machinery for ingines." 

" Nothing else?" asked the pirate with a searching 
look. 

At this moment, Captain Spinnet's eye caught 
what looked like a sail off to the southward and 
eastward, but no sign betrayed the discovery, and, 



200 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

while a brilliant idea shot through his mind, he 
hesitatingly replied : 

"Well, there is.aleetle something else." 

"Ha land what is it?" 

" Why, sir, perhaps I had n't ought to tell," said 
Captain Spinnet, counterfeiting the most extreme 
perturbation. "You see, 't was given to me as a 
sort of trust, an' 't would n't be right for me to give 
up. You can take any thing else you please, for I 
s'pose I can't help myself." 

" You are an honest codger, at any rate," said 
the pirate ; " but, if you would live ten minutes 
longer, just tell me what you 've got on board, and 
exactly where it lays." 

The sight of the cocked pistol brought the old 
man to his senses, and, in a deprecating tone, he 
muttered : 

" Do n't kill me, sir, do n't, I '11 tell you all. We 
have got forty thousand silver dollars nailed up in 
boxes and stowed away under some of the boxes 
just forward of the cabin bulkhead, but Mr. Defoe 
did n't suspect that any body would have thought 
of looking.for it there." 

" Perhaps so," chuckled the pirate, while his eyes 
sparkled with delight. And- then, turning to his 
own vessel, he ordered all but three of his men to 
jump on board the Yankee. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 201 

Iii a few moments the pirates had taken off the 
hatches, and, in their haste to get at the " silver 
dollars," they forgot all else ; bnt not so with Spin- 
net ; he had his wits at work, and no sooner had 
the last of the villains disappeared below the hatch- 
way, than he turned to his boys. 

" Now, boys, for our lives. Seth, you clap your 
knife across the fore throat and peak halyards ; and 
you, John, cut the main. Be quick now, an' the 
moment you 've done it, jump aboard the pirate. 
Andrew and Sam., you cast off the pirate's grap- 
lings; an' then you jump — then we '11 walk into 
them three chaps aboard the clipper. Noiv for it!' 

No sooner were the last words out of the old 
man's^ mouth, than his sons did exactly as they had 
been directed. The fore and main halyards were 
cut. and the two graplings cast off at the same 
instant, and, as the heavy gaffs came rattling down, 
our five heroes leaped on board the pirate. The 
moment the clipper felt at liberty, her head swung 
off, and, before the astonished buccaneers could gain 
the decks of the fisherman, their own vessel was a 
cable's length to leeward, sweeping gracefully away 
before the wind, while the three men left in charge 
were easily secured. 

" Halloa, there ! " shouted Captain Spinnet, as the 

luckless pirates crowded around the lee gangway 
9* 



202 . THRILLING ADVENTURES 

of their prize, " when you find them silver dollars, 
just let us know, will you ? " 

Half a dozen pistol shots was all the answer the 
old man got, but they did him no harm ; and, 
crowding up all sail, he made for the vessel he had 
discovered, which lay dead to leeward of him, and 
which he made out to be a large ship. The clipper 
cut through the water like a dolphin, and, in a re- 
markably short space of time, Spinnet luffed up 
under the ship's stern, and explained all that had 
happened. The ship proved to be an East India- 
man, bound for Charleston, having, all told, thirty 
men on board, twenty of whom at once jumped into 
the clipper and offered their services in helping to 
take the pirate. 

Before dark, Captain Spinnet was once more 
within hailing distance of liis own vessel, and 
raising a trumpet to his mouth, he shouted : 

" Schooner ahoy ! Will you quietly surrender 
yourselves prisoners, if we come on board ! " 

" Come and try it ! " returned the pirate captain, 
as he brandished his cutlass above his head in a 
threatening manner, which seemed to indicate that 
he would fight to the last. 

But that was his last moment, for Seth was 
crouched below the bulwarks, taking deliberate aim 
along the barrel of a heavy rifle, and, as the bloody 



BY LAND AND SEA. 203 

villain was in the act of turning to his men, the 
sharp crack of Seth Spinnet's weapon rang its fatal 
death-peal, and the next moment the captain fell 
back into the arms of his men, with a brace of 
bullets in his heart. 

" Now," shouted the old man, as he leveled the 
long pivot gun, and seized a lighted match, " I '11 
give you just five minutes to make your minds up 
in, and, if you do n't surrender, I '11 blow every one 

of vou into the other world." 

j 

The death of their captain, and, withal the sight 
of the pivot gun — its peculiar properties they knew 
fall Avell — brought the pirates to their senses, and 
they threw down their weapons, and agreed to give 
themselves up. 

In two days from that time, Captain Spinnet 
delivered his cargo safely in Havana, gave the 
pirates into the hands of the civil authorities, and 
delivered the clipper up to the government, in re- 
turn for which, he received a sum of money suffi- 
cient for an independence during the remainder of 
his life, as well as a very handsome medal from the 
government. 



204 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



KENTON THE SPY. 

A secret expedition had been planned by Col. 
Bowman, of Kentucky, against an Indian town on 
the little Miama. Simon Kenton and two young 
men, named Clark and Montgomery, were employed 
to proceed in advance, and reconnoiter. Kenton 
was a native of Fauquier county, Virginia, where 
he was born the fifteenth of May, 1755 ; his com- 
panions were roving backwoodsmen, denizens of the 
wood, and hunters like himself. 

These adventurers set out in obedience to their 
orders, and reached the neighborhood of the Indian 
village without being discovered. They examined 
it attentively, and walked around the cabins during 
the night with perfect impunity. Had they returned 
after reconnoitering the place, they would have ac- 
complished the object of their mission, and avoided 
a heavy calamity. They fell martyrs, however to 
their passion for horseflesh. 

Unfortunately, during their nightly promenade, 
they stumbled upon a pound, in which were a 
number of Indian horses. The temptation was not 



BY LAND AND SEA. 205 

to be resisted. They severally seized a horse and 
mounted. But there still remained a number of 
fine animals; and the adventurers cast longmg, 
lingering looks behind. It was melancholy — the 
idea of forsaking such a goodly prize. Flesh and 
blood could not resist the temptation. Getting 
scalped was nothing to the loss of such beautiful 
specimens of horseflesh. They turned back, and 
took several more. The horses, however, seemed 
indisposed to change masters, and so much noise 
was made, in the attempt to secure them, that at 
last the thieves were discovered. 

The cry rang through the village at once, that 
the Long-Knives were stealing their horses right 
before the doors of their wigwams. A great hub- 
bub ensued ; and Indians, old and young, squaws, 
children, and warriors, all sallied out with loud 
screams, to save their property from the greedy 
spoilers. Kenton and his friends saw that they 
had overshot their mark, and that they must ride 
for their lives. Even in this extremity, however, 
they could not reconcile their minds to the surren- 
der of a single horse which they had haltered ; and 
while two of them rode in front and led a great 
number of horses, the other brought up the rear, 
and, plying his whip from right to left, did not 
permit a single animal to lag behind. 



206 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

In this manner, they dashed through the woods 
at a furious rate with the hue and cry after them, 
until their course was suddenly . stopped by an 
impenetrable swamp. Here, from necessity, they 
paused a few minutes, and listened attentively. 
Hearing no sounds of pursuit, they resumed their 
course, and, skirting the swamp for some distance 
in the vain hope of crossing it, they bent their 
course in a straight direction to the Ohio. They 
rode during the whole night without resting a 
moment. Halting a brief space at daylight, they 
continued their journey throughout the day, and 
the whole of the following night; and, by this 
uncommon celerity of movement, they succeeded 
in reaching the northern bank of the Ohio on the 
morning of the second day. 

Crossing the river would now insure their safety, 
but this was likely to prove a difficult undertaking, 
and the close pursuit, which they had reason to 
expect, rendered it expedient to lose as little time 
as possible. The wind was high, and the river 
rough and boisterous. It was determined that 
Kenton should cross with the horses, while Clark 
and Montgomery should construct a raft, in order 
to transport their guns, baggage, and ammunition, 
to the opposite shore. The necessary preparations 
were soon made, and Kenton, after forcing his 



BY LAND AND SEA. 207 

horses into the river, plunged in himself, and swam 
by their side. 

In a few minutes the high waves completely over- 
whelmed him, and forced him considerably below 
the horses, who stemmed the current much more 
successfully than he. 

The horses, being left to themselves, turned about 
and made for the Ohio shore, where Kenton was 
compelled to follow them. Again he forced them 
into the water, and again they returned to the 
same spot, until Kenton became so exhausted by 
repeated efforts, as to be unable to swim. What 
was to be done? 

That the Indians would pursue them was certain. 
That the horses would not and could not be made 
to cross the river in its present state, was equally 
certain. Should they abandon their horses and 
cross on the raft, or remain with their horses and 
brave the consequence? The latter alternative was 
adopted unanimously. Death or captivity might be 
tolerated, but the loss of such a beautiful lot of 
horses, after working so hard for them, was not to 
be thought of for a moment. 

Should they move up or down the river, or 
remain where they were? The latter plan was 
adopted, and a more indiscreet one could hardly 
have been imagined. They supposed that ihe 



208 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

wind would fall at sunset, and. the river become 
sufficiently calm to admit of their passage ; and, 
as it was thought probable that the Indians might 
be upon them before night, it was determined to 
conceal their horses in a neighboring ravine, while 
they should take their stations in the adjoining 
wood. 

The day passed away in tranquility; but at 
night the wind blew harder than ever, and the 
water became so rough, that they would hardly 
have been able to cross on their raft. As if totally 
infatuated, they remained where they were until 
morning ; thus wasting twenty-four hours of most 
precious time in idleness. In the morning, the 
wind abated, and the river became calm; but, it 
was now too late. Their horses had become obsti- 
nate and intractable, and positively and repeatedly 
refused to take to the water. 

Their masters at length determined to do what 
ought to have been done at first. They severally 
resolved to mount a horse, and make the best of 
their way down the river to Louisville. But their 
unconquerable reluctance to lose their horses over- 
came even this resolution. Instead of leaving the 
ground instantly, they went back upon their own 
trail, in the vain effort to regain possession of the 
rest of their horses, which had broken from them in 



BY LAND AND SEA. 209 

their last effort to drive them into the water. They 
literally fell victims to their love for horseflesh. 

They had scarcely ridden one hundred yards 
when Kenton, who had dismounted, heard a loud 
halloo, lie quickly beheld three Indians and one 
white man, all well mounted. Wishing to give the 
alarm to his companions, he raised his rifle, took a 
steady aim at the breast of the foremost Indian, 
and drew the trigger. His gun had become wet 
on the raft, and flashed. 

The enemy were instantly alarmed, and dashed 
at him. Kenton took to his heels, and was pur- 
sued by four horsemen at full speed. He instantly 
directed his steps to the thickest part of the wood, 
and had succeeded, as he thought, in baffling his 
pursuers, when, just as he was entering the wood, 
an Indian on horseback galloped up to him with 
such rapidity as to render flight useless. The 
horseman rode up, holding out his hand, and calling 
out "Brother! brother!" in a tone of great affection. 
Kenton observes, that if his gun would have made 
fire, he would have "brothered" him to his heart's 
content, but, being totally unarmed, he called out 
that he would surrender if they would give him 
quarter and good treatment. 

Promises were cheap with the Indian, who, ad- 
vancing, with extended hands and a withering grin 



210 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

upon his countenance, which was intended for a 
smile of courtesy, seized Kenton's hand and grasped 
it with violence. Kenton, not liking the manner of 
his captor, raised his gun to knock him down, when 
an Indian, who had followed him closely through 
the brushwood, sprung upon his back, and pinioned 
his arms to his side. The one, who had been grin- 
ning so amiably, then raised him by the hair and 
shook him until his teeth rattled, while the rest of 
the party coming up, fell upon Kenton with their 
tongues and ramrods, until he thought they would 
scold or beat him to death. They were the owners 
of the horses which he had carried off, and now 
took ample revenge for the loss of their property. 
At every stroke of their ramrods over his head, 
they would exclaim in a tone of strong indignation, 
" Steal Indian hoss ! hey ! " 

Their attention, however, was soon directed to 
Montgomery, who, having heard the noise attending 
Kenton's capture, very gallantly hastened up to his 
assistance, wdiile Clark prudently took to his heels. 
Montgomery halted within gunshot, and appeared 
busy with the pan of his gun, as if preparing to fire. 
Two Indians instantly sprang off in pursuit of him, 
while the rest attended to Kenton. In a few min- 
utes Kenton heard the crack of two rifles in quick 
succession, followed by a halloo, which announced 



BY LAND AND SEA. 211 

the fate of his friend. The Indians returned, waving 
the bloody scalp of Montgomery, and with counte- 
nances and gestures which menaced him. with a 
similar fate. 

They then proceeded to secure their prisoner by 
pinioning him with stout sticks, and fastening him 
with ropes to a tree. During the operation they 
cuffed him from time to time with great heartiness, 
and abused him for a"tief! — a hoss steal! — a 
rascal!" 

Kenton remained in this painful position through- 
out the night, looking forward to certain death, and 
most probably torture, as soon as he should reach 
their town. Their rage against him displayed it- 
self the next morning, in rather a singular manner. 

Among the horses which Kenton had taken, was 
a wild young colt, wholly unbroken, and with all 
his honors of mane and tail undocked. Upon him 
Kenton was mounted, without saddle or bridle, with 
his hands tied behind him, and his feet fastened 
under the horse's belly. The country was rough 
and bushy, and Kenton had no means of protecting 
his face from the brambles, through which it was 
expected that the colt would dash. As soon as the 
rider was firmly fastened to his back, the colt was 
turned loose with a sudden lash, but, after curvet- 
ting and capricoling for awhile, to the great distress 



_ 



r 



212 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






of Kenton, but to the infinite amusement of the 
Indians, he appeared to take compassion on his 
rider, and, falling into a line with the other horses, 
avoided the brambles entirely, and went on very 
well. In this manner he rode through" the day 
At night he was taken from the horse, and confined 
as before. 

On the third day, they came within a few miles 
of Chillicothe. Here the party halted, raid sent 
forward a messenger to prepare for their reception. 
In a short time, Blackfish, one of their chiefs, ar- 
rived, and regarding Kenton with a stern counte- 
nance, thundered out in very good English : "*You 
have been stealing horses ? " 
"Yes, sir." 

"Did Captain Boone tell you to steal our horses?" 

" No, sir, I did it of my own accord." 

Blackfish made no reply to this frank confession; 

but, brandishing a hickory switch, he applied it so 

briskly to Kenton's naked back and shoulders, as 

to bring the blood freely, and occasion acute pain. 

Thus, alternately scolded and beaten, Kenton 

was conducted to the village. All the inhabitants, 

men, women, and children, ran out to feast their 

eyes with a sight of the prisoner; and all, down 

to the smallest child, appeared in a paroxysm of 

rage. They whooped, they yelled, they hooted, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 215 

they clapped their hands, and poured upon him a 
flood of abuse, to which all that he had yet expe- 
rienced was courteous and civil. With loud cries, 
they demanded that their prisoner should be tied to 
the stake. The hint was instantly complied with ; 
but, after being well thrashed and tormented, he 
was released for the purpose of furnishing further 
amusement to his captors. 

Early in the morning, he beheld the scalp of 
Montgomery stretched upon a hoop, and drying in 
the air, before the door of one of their principal 
houses. He was led out, and ordered to run the 
gauntlet. A row of boys, women, and men, ex- 
tended to the distance of a quarter of a mile. At 
the starting-place, stood two grim warriors with 
butcher knives in their hands. At the extremity 
of the line, was an Indian beating a drum ; and a 
few paces beyond the drum was the door of the 
council-house. Clubs, switches, hoe-handles, and 
tomahawks, were brandished along the whole line, 
and, as Kenton saw these formidable preparations, 
the cold sweat streamed from his pores. 

The moment for starting arrived, the great drum 
at the door of the council-house was struck ; and 
Kenton sprang forward in the race. He, however, 
avoided the row of his enemies, and, turning to the 
east, drew the whole party in pursuit of him. He 



216 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






doubled several times with great activity, and at 
length observing an opening he darted through 
it, and pressed forward to the council-house with 
a rapidity which left his pursuers far behind. 
One or two of the Indians succeeded in throwing 
themselves between him and the goal, and from 
these alone he received a few blows, but was much 
less injured than he could at first have supposed 
possible. 

After the race was over, a council to decide his 
fate was held, while he was handed over, naked and 
bound, to the care of a guard in the open air. The 
deliberation commenced. Every warrior sat in si- 
lence, while a large warclub was passed round the 
circle. Those who were opposed to burning the 
piisoner on the- spot, were to pass the club in 
silence to the next warrior. Those in favor of 
burning were to strike the earth violently with the 
club before passing it. 

A teller was appointed to count the votes. This 
dignitary reported that the opposition had prevailed ; 
and that it was determined to take the prisoner to 
an Indian town on Mad river, called Waughcoto- 
moco. His fate was announced to him by a rene- 
gado white man, who acted as interpreter. Kenton 
asked "what the Indians intended to do with him 
upon reaching Waughcotomoco." 



BY LAND AND SEA. 217 

u Burn you ! " replied the renegado, with a fero- 
cious oath. 

After this pleasant assurance, the laconic and 
scowling interpreter walked away. 

The prisoner's clothes were restored to him, and 
he was permitted to remain unbound. Thanks to 
the intimation of the interpreter, he was aware of 
the fate in reserve for him, and resolved that he 
would never be carried alive to Waughcotomoco. 
Their route lay through an unpruned forest, abound- 
ing in thickets and undergrowth. During the whole 
of the march, Kenton remained abstracted and si- 
lent ; often meditating an effort for the recovery of 
his liberty, and as often shrinking from the peril of 
the attempt. 

At length he was aroused from his reverie by 
the Indians firing off their guns, and raising the 
shrill scalp-halloo. The signal was soon answered, 
and the deep roll of a drum was heard far in front, 
announcing to the unhappy prisoner, that they were 
approaching an Indian town, where the gauntlet, 
certainly, and perhaps the stake awaited him. 

The idea of a repetition of the dreadful scenes 

he had just encountered, overcame his indecision, 

and, with a sudden and startling cry, he sprung 

into the bushes, and fled with the speed of a wild 

deer. The pursuit was instant and keen. Some of 
10 



218 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

his pursuers were on horseback^ some on foot. But 
he was flying for his life. The stake and the hot 
iron, and the burning splinters were before his eyes, 
and he soon distanced the swiftest hunter in pursuit. 

But fate was against him at every turn. Think- 
ing only of the enemy behind, he forgot that there 
might be an enemy before ; and he suddenly found 
that he had plunged into the center of a fresh party 
of horsemen, who had sallied from the town at the 
firing of the guns, and happened, unfortunately, to 
stumble upon the poor prisoner, now making a last 
effort for freedom. , His heart sunk at once from 
the ardor of hope to the lowest pit of despair, and 
he was again haltered and driven into captivity like 
an ox to the slaughter. 

On the second day he arrived at Waughcotomoco. 
Here he was again compelled to run the gauntlet, 
in which he was severely hurt. Immediately after 
this ceremony, he was taken to the council-house, 
and all the warriors once more assembled to deter- 
mine his fate. 

He sat silent and dejected upon the floor of the 
cabin, when the door of the council-house opened, 
and Simon Girty, James Girty, John Ward, and an 
Indian, came in with a woman as a prisoner, together 
with seven children and seven scalps. Kenton was 
immediately removed from the council-house, and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 219 

the deliberations of the assembly were protracted 
to a very late hour, in consequence of the arrival 
of the last-named party with a fresh drove of 
prisoners. 

At length he was again summoned to attend the 
council-house, being informed that his fate was de- 
cided. Upon entering, he was greeted with a savage 
scowl, which, if he had still cherished a spark of 
hope, would have completely extinguished it. Si- 
mon Girty threw a blanket upon the floor, and 
harshly ordered him to take a seat upon it. The 
order was not immediately complied with, and Girty 
impatiently seizing his arm, jerked him roughly 
upon the blanket, and pulled him down. 

In a menacing tone, Girty then interrogated him 
as to the condition of Kentucky. 

" How many men are there in Kentucky?" 

" It is impossible for me to answer that question," 
replied Kenton ; " but I can tell you the number of 
officers, and their respective ranks, and you can 
judge for yourself." 

" Do you know William Stewart ? " 

'* Perfectly well ; he is an old and intimate ac- 
quaintance." 

" What is your own name ? " 

" Simon Butler ! " replied Kenton, who had been 
known formerly by that name. 



r 



220 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



Never did the announcement of a name produce a 
more powerful effect. Girty and Kenton had served 
as spies together in Dunmore's expedition. The 
former had not then abandoned the society of the 
whites for that of th« savages, and had become 
warmly attached to Kenton during the short period 
of their services together. As soon as he heard 
the name, he threw his arms around Kenton's neck, 
and embraced him with much emotion. 

Then turning to the assembled warriors, who had 
witnessed this scene with much surprise, Girty in- 
formed them that the prisoner, whom they had just 
condemned to the stake, was his ancient companion 
and bosom-friend ; that they had traveled the same 
war-path, slept upon the same blanket, and dwelt 
in the same wigwam. He entreated them to spare 
him the anguish of witnessing the torture, by his 
adopted brothers, of an old comrade ; and not to 
refuse so trifling a favor as the life of a white man 
to the earnest intercession of one, who had proved, 
by three years' faithful service, that he was zealously 
devoted to the cause of the Indians. 

The speech was listened to in silence, and some 
of the chiefs were disposed to grant Girty's request. 
But others urged the flagrant misdemeanors of Ken- 
ton ; that he had not only stolen their horses, but 
had flashed his gun at one of their young men; 



BY LAND AND SEA. 221 

that it was in vain to suppose that so bad a man 
could ever become an Indian at heart, like their 
brother Girty; that the Kentuckians were all alike, 
very bad people, and ought to be killed as fast as 
they were taken ; and, finally, they observed that 
many of their people had come from a distance, 
solely to assist at the torture of the prisoner ; and 
pathetically painted the disappointment and chagrin, 
with which thev would hear that all their trouble 
had been for nothing. 

Girty continued to urge his request, however, 
with great earnestness, and the debate was carried 
on for an hour and a half, with much energy and 
heat. The feelings of Kenton during this suspense 
may be imagined. 

At length the warclub was produced, and the 
final vote was taken. It was in favor of the pris- 
oner's reprieve. Having thus succeeded in his be- 
nevolent purpose, Girty lost no time in attending 
to the comfort of his friend. He led him into his 
own wigwam, and, from his ow r n store, gave him a 
pair of moccasins and leggins, a breechcloth, a hat, 
a coat, a handkerchief for his neck, and another for 
his head. 

For the space of three weeks, Kenton lived in 
tranquility, treated with much kindness by Girty 
and the chiefs. But, at the end of that time, as 



222 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



y 






he was one day with Girty and an Indian named 
Redpole, another Indian came from the village to- 
ward them, uttering repeatedly a whoop of peculiar 
intonation. Girty instantly told Kenton it was the 
distress-halloo, and that they must all go instantly 
to the council-house. Kenton's heart fluttered at 
the intelligence, for he dreaded all whoops, and 
heartily hated all council-houses, firmly believing 
that neither boded him any good. Nothing, how- 
ever, could be done, to avoid whatever fate awaited 
him, and he sadly accompanied Girty and Redpole 
back to the village. 

On entering the council-house, Kenton perceived 
from the ominous scowls of the chiefs, that they 
meant no tenderness toward him. Girty and Red- 
pole were cordially received, but when poor Kenton 
offered his hand, it was rejected by six. Indians suc- 
cessively, after which, sinking into despondence, he 
turned away, and stood apart. 

The debate commenced. Kenton looked eagerly 
toward Girty, as his last and only hope. His friend 
seemed anxious and distressed. The chiefs from a 
distance rose one after another, and spoke in a firm 
and indignant tone, often looking sternly at Ken- 
ton. Girty did not desert him, but his eloquence 
was wasted. After a warm discussion, he turned to 
Kenton and said, "Well, my friend, you must die!''' 



BY LAND AND SEA. 223 

One of the stranger chiefs Instantly seized him 
by the collar, and, the others surrounding him, he 
was strongly pinioned, committed to a guard, and 
marched off. His guard were on horseback, while 
he was driven before them on foot, with a long rope 
round his neck. In this manner they had marched 
about two and a half miles, when Girty passed them 
on horseback, informing Kenton that he had friends 
at the next village, with whose aid he hoped to be 
able to do something for him. Girty passed on to 
the town, but finding that nothing could be done, 
he would not see his friend again, but returned to 
Waughcotomoco by a different route. 

The Indians with their prisoner soon reached 
a large village upon the headwaters of the Scioto, 
w T here Kenton, for the first time, beheld the cele- 
brated Mingo chief, Logan, so honorably mentioned 
in Jefferson's Notes on Virginia. Logan walked 
gravely up to the place where Kenton stood, and 
the following short conversation ensued : 

" Well, young man, these people seem very mad 
at you?" 

u Yes, sir, they certainly are." 

" Well ; do n't be disheartened. I am a great 
chief. t You are to go to Sandusky. They speak of 
burning you there. But I will send two runners 
to-morrow to help you." 



224 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



Logan's form was manly, his countenance calm 
and noble, and he spoke the English language with 
fluency and correctness. Kenton's spirits revived 
at the address of the benevolent chief, and he once 
more looked upon himself as providentially rescued 
from the stake. 

On the following morning, two runners were de- 
spatched to Sandusky as the chief had promised. In 
the evening they returned, and were closeted with 
Logan. Kenton felt the most burning anxiety to 
know the result of their mission, but Logan did not 
visit him until the next morning. He then walked 
up to him, accompanied by Kenton's guard, and, 
giving him a piece of bread, told him that he was 
instantly to be carried to Sandusky ; and left him 
without uttering another word. 

Again Kenton's spirits sunk. From Logan's man- 
ner, he supposed that his intercession had been un- 
availing, and that Sandusky was to be the scene of 
his final suffering. This appears to have been the 
truth. But fortune had not finished her caprices. 
On being driven into the town, for the purpose of 
being burnt on the following morning, an Indian 
agent, from Canada, named Drewyer, interposed, 
and once more was he rescued from the stake. 
Drewyer wished to obtain information for the Brit- 
ish commandant at Detroit ; and so earnestly did 



BY LAND AND SEA. 225 

he insist upon Kenton's being delivered to him, that 
the Indians at length consented, upon the express 
condition that, after the required information had 
been obtained, he should be again restored to their 
possession. To this Drewyer consented, and, with- 
out further difficulty, Kenton was transferred to his 
hands. Drewyer lost no time in removing him to 
Detroit. On the road, he informed Kenton of the 
condition upon which he had obtained possession of 
his person, assuring him, however, that no consider- 
ation should induce him to abandon a "prisoner to 
the mercy of such wretches. 

At Detroit, Kenton's condition was not un- 
pleasant. He was obliged to report himself every 
morning to an English officer ; and was restricted 
to certain boundaries through the day. In other 
respects he scarcely felt that he w T as a prisoner. 
His wounds were healed, and his emaciated limbs 
were again clothed with a fair proportion of flesh. 
He remained in this state of easy restraint from 
October, 1777, until June, 1778, when he meditated 
an escape. 

lie cautiously broached his project to two young 
Kentuckians, then at Detroit, who had been taken 
with Boone at the Blue Licks, and had been pur- 
chased by the British. He found them as impatient 

as himself of captivity, and resolute to accompany 
10* 



226 THRILLING ADVENTURES ■ 

him. He commenced instant preparations. Having 
formed a close friendship with two Indian hunters, 
he deluged them with rum, and bought their guns 
for a mere trifle. These he hid in the woods, and, 
returning to Detroit, managed to procure powder 
and hall, with another rifle. 

The three prisoners then appointed a night for 
their attempt, and agreed upon a place of rendez- 
vous. They met at the time and place appointed, 
without discovery, and, taking a circuitous route, 
avoiding pursuit by traveling only during the night, 
they at length arrived safely at Louisville, after a 
march of thirty days. 



THE DYING VOLUNTEER, 

AN INCIDENT OF MOLINO DEL REY. 

The sun had risen in all his glorious majesty, and 
hung over the eastern horizon like a wall of glow- 
ing fire ; and its bright rays danced merrily along 
the lake of Teseneo — over the glittering domes of 
Mexico — past the frowning battlements of Chapul- 
tepec, and lit, in all their glorious effulgence, upon 
the blood-stained field of Molino del Rey. 



BY LAND AND SEA. . 227 

The contest was over — the sound of battle had 
died away, save an occasional shot from the distant 
artillery of the castle, or the fire of some strolling 
riflemen. 

I was standing beside the battered remains of 
the mill door, above which the first footing had 
been gained upon the well-contested wall, and gaz- 
ing over the plain, now saturated with the blood of 
my fellow-soldiers, which that morning waved green 
with flowing grass, when I heard a low and feeble 
wail in the ditch beside me. I turned towards the 
spot, and beheld, with his right leg shattered by a 
cannon ball, a voltiguer lying amid the mangled. 
He had been passed by in the haste of gathering 
up the wounded under the fire from the castle, and 
the rays of the burning sun beat down with terri- 
ble fervor upon the wounded limb, causing heavy 
groans to issue from his pallid lips, and his marble 
countenance to writhe with pain. 

"Water, for God's sake, a drink of water!" he 
faintly articulated, as I bent over him. 

Fortunately, I had procured a canteen of water, 
and placing it to his lips, he took a long, deep 
draught, and then sunk back exhausted upon the 
ground. 

" The sun," he murmured, " is killing me by its 
rays ; can not you carry me into the shade ? " 






228 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



" I can procure assistance, and have you taken to 
the hospital." 

" No, do not, my sands of life are most out. An 
hour hence, I shall be a dead man. Carry me into 
the shade of the mill, and then, if you have time 
to spare, listen to my dying words, and, if you are 
fortunate enough to return to the United States, 
bear me back a message to my home, and to an- 
oth — " he paused, and motioned me to carry him 
into the shade. I did so, and the cold wind which 
swept along the spot appeared to revive him, and 
he continued : 

" You, sir, are a total stranger to me, and, from 
your uniform belong to another corps, and yet I 
must confide this, the great secret of all my recent 
actions, and the cause of my being here, to you. 
Would to God that I had reflected upon the fatal 
steps I had taken, and I should now have been at 
my home, enjoying the society of kind friends, 
instead of dying upon the gory field, and in a 
foreign land. My father was a wealthy man, in 

the town of G h, in the state of Virginia, and 

moved in the best society of the place. I had 
received an excellent education, had studied law, 
and was admitted, in the twenty-fourth year of 
my age, to practice at the bar. I had early seen 
and admired a young lady of the place, a daughter 






BY LAND AND SEA. 229 

of an intimate friend of father's, and fortunately the 
feeling was reciprocated, and we were engaged to 
be married. The war in Mexico had been in ex- 
istence some twelve months, and many flocked to 
the standard of their country. It so happened, that 
about this time, a recruiting office had been opened 
in the town, and several of my young friends had 
enlisted to go and try their fortunes on the plains 
of Mexico. One night there was a grand party in 
the place, in honor of those who were about to 
depart for the seat of war, and both myself and 
Eveline were at the hall. Among those who 
were assembled at that evening was Augustus P., 
a talented young man, and accomplished scholar, 
gay and lively in his manners, free and cheerful in 
his disposition, and a universal favorite with the 
fair sex. He had been for some time paying his 
addresses to Eveline, as I deemed, in rather too 
pointed a manner. As the party had assembled 
in the long hall, and the dance was about to com- 
mence, I asked for her hand for the first set. 

" ' It is engaged,' she replied, as I thought, rather 
tartly. 

" 'To whom, if I may be so bold as to inquire?' 
I demanded. 

" ' To Augustus P.,' was the immediate reply. 

" I smothered my rising indignation the best I 



230 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



could, and proudly returned the smile of malignant 
joy my rival gave me. 

" ' Perhaps I can engage it for a second set,' I 
calmly replied. 

" 'Mr. P. has engaged it for the entire evening,' 
she pettishly replied, and rising and taking his hand 
they took their station upon the floor. 

u I remained thunderstruck and rooted to the 
spot, until I saw the eyes of my hated rival fixed 
upon me, and, throwing off the spell that hound 
me, I assumed a proud, cold look. As I swept by 
the dancers, Eveline paused for a moment when 
just beside me, and, bending close to her ear, I 
whispered, ' Eveline, farewell forever.' 

" She turned slightly pale, and asked, ' when ? ' 

" '■ To-night, I join the army for Mexico,' I firmly 
replied. 

" A deep flush passed haughtily across her brow, 
and then waving her hand gracefully, she replied, 
' Go,' and glided through the mazes of the dance. 

" I rushed from the spot, and never paused until 
I had entered the recruiting office, and offered my- 
self a candidate for the army. 

" ' Are you a good, moral man, of well-regulated 
habits ? ' asked the sergeant. 

" c Can give a hundred certificates, if necessary,' 
I hastily replied. 






BY LAND AND SEA. 231 

" " I rather think you '11 do/ said the officer with 
a smile, and he enrolled me as a soldier. ' "When 
do you wish to leave ? ' 

" ' Now — to-night — to-morrow — any time/ I 
eagerly answered. 

" ' Promptness is a good quality, you will make 
a good soldier. Get ready to start at eight o'clock 
in the morning, for Newport, Ky.' 

" ' I will be ready/ and, rushing from the room, 
I hastened home, packed up my things, and threw 
myself down on the bed to sleep. But it was im- 
possible. Heavy thoughts were crowding my mind 
with lightning speed, and I resolved to depart the 
next day, without bidding adieu to father or mother, 
sister or brother ; but feeling a deep respect, which 
I held for my father's advice, would prevail and I 
should be induced to remain at home. I made the 
resolve and carried it out. The next morning I 
.was at the office by seven o'clock, was furnished 
with a suit of regimentals, and departed for the 
railroad depot to start for Wheeling. As I hurried 
along, who should turn the corner of the street but 
Eveline, and we met for the last time on earth. I 
informed her of my intentions, and, without mani- 
festing any disposition of regret at my departure, 
she gaily said : " ' Good bye, and may good luck 
attend you/ and she glided away. 



r 



232 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



" A new fuel was added to ray desire to hasten 
from such scenes ; and I had soon left the town for 
the Ohio. I will not weary you with further details, 
as my breath is failing fast. Suffice it to say I ar- 
rived in Mexico, and, here I am, perishing by inches 
upon the battle-field. 

" Here," he continued, u is a ring," taking one 
from his finger, and presenting it to me, " which 
was given me by Eveline as a bond of our marriage 
contract. I have worn it ever since, and, as I told 
her then, 'it shall leave me but with my death.' 
Take it to her, when you get back, and, if she be 
not married, give it to her, and tell her he who 
sent it never forgot her for a single moment, even 
in his dying hour, and is tying beneath the clods 
of a foreign soil. This Bible, give back to my fa- 
ther, and tell him I have studied its precepts : to 
my mother and sisters, say that I have sent them 
a son's and brother's dying love ; tell my brothers 
to beware of human strife." 

He faltered in his speech, and then murmuring, 
" I am going," pressed my hand feebly and expired. 
I dug a lone grave upon the field, and laid him to 
" sleep his last sleep," until that day when all shall 
be summoned to a final account. 

One year rolled on, and how chequered by pass- 
ing events ! Chapultepec had fallen, the city of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 233 

Mexico was taken, and peace, thrice glorious peace, 
had waved her pinions over the land of war. The 
volunteers were joyfully hastening to their homes, 
and, among the rest, I once more trod my native 
land, a freeman again in heart and soul. A spell 
of sickness at first confined me several weeks, but 
at length I rose wearied and feeble from my bed, 
and my physicians recommended a change of air. I 
traveled into Virginia, and one evening I entered the 

town of G h. I inquired for the family of my 

friend, and was directed to a fine-looking building 
upon the principal street. I advanced and rang the 
bell, and anxiously waited an answer. At length 
the door opened, and an old grey-headed man stood 
before me, the lines of his face marked by care, and 
his whole appearance betokened one who had a deep 
grief at heart. 

" Mr. , I presume ?" said I, bowing. 

" The same, sir; won't you walk in?" replied the 
old man, politely. 

I entered the house, and was soon seated in the 
parlor, when the old man started to leave the room. 

" I have something of importance for your private 
ear," said I, hastily. 

He turned towards me, and taking the Bible from 
my pocket, I held it up to view. Quicker than 
thought, the aged father sprang forward, caught the 



234 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



book in his hand, and murmured, as the tears fell 
slowly over his aged cheeks : 

" My son, my son, you bring news of him." 

*' I do, but it is very bad," I answered, my voice 
trembling as I spoke, and I retold to him the scenes 
upon the battle-field. 

When I had finished, the old man clasped his 
hands in agony, and, raising his eyes toward the 
ceiling, exclaimed, in deep and fervent tones, "God's 
will be cTone ! " 

At this moment, a young lady of pale, care-worn 
countenance entered the parlor, and, rising, I said, 
"Miss Eveline , I believe?" 

" The same," she calmly replied. 

As her eyes glanced at the ring, which I silently 
presented, she stretched forth her hand, grasped il 
convulsively, then fell suddenly forward upon the 
carpet, the blood oozing rapidly from her mouth. 
The terrible ordeal had broken a blood-vessel, and 
her spirit passed unchecked to another world. 

A plain, marble slab, in the graveyard of the town 

of Gr — h, upon which is engraved the lone word, 

ci Eveline," marks the last resting place of the 
betrothed of the Dying Volunteer. 






BY LAND AND SEA. 235 



ESCAPE FROM A MEXICAN QUICKSAND. 

BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID. 

A few days afterward, another adventure befell 
me ; and I began to think I was destined to become 
a hero among the " mountain men." 

A small party of the traders — myself among the 
number — had pushed forward ahead of the caravan. 
Our object was to arrive at Santa, Fe a day or two 
before the wagons, in order to have every thing ar- 
ranged with the governor for their entrance into 
the capital. We took the route by the Cimmaron. 

Our road, 'for a hundred miles or so, lay through 
a barren desert, without game, and almost without 
water. The buffalo had all disappeared, and deer 
were equally scarce. We had to content ourselves 
on the dried meat which we had brought from the 
settlements. We were in the deserts of the arte- 
misia. Now and then we could see a' stray ante- 
lope bounding away before us, but keeping far out 
of range. They, too, seemed to be unusually shy. 

On the third day after leaving the caravan, as 
we were riding near the Cimmaron, I thought I 



236 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



observed a pronged head disappearing behind a 
swell in the prairie. My companions were skep- 
tical, and none of them would go with me ; so, 
wheeling out of trail, I started alone. One of 
them — for Gode was behind — kept charge of my 
dog, as I did not choose to take him with me, lest 
he might alarm the antelopes. My horse was fresh 
and willing ; and, whether successful or not, I knew 
I could easily overtake the party by camping-time. 

I struck directly toward the spot where I had 
seen the object. It appeared to be only half a mile 
or so from the trail. It proved more distant — a 
common illusion in the crystal atmosphere of these 
upland regions. 

A curiously formed ridge, traversed the plain 
from east to west. A thicket of cactus covered 
part of its summit. Toward the thicket I directed 
myself. 

I dismounted at the bottom of the slope, and 
leading my horse silently up among the cactus 
plants, tied him to one of their branches. I then 
cautiously crept through the thorny leaves toward 
the point where I fancied I had seen the game. To 
my joy, not one antelope, but a brace of those beau- 
tiful animals, was quietly grazing beyond ; but alas ! 
too far off for the carry of my rifle. They were 
fully three hundred yards distant, upon a smooth, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 237 

grassy slope. There was not even a sage bush to 
cover me, should I attempt to approach them. What 
was to be dune ? 

I lay for several minutes, thinking over the dif- 
ferent tricks, known in hunter craft, for taking the 
antelope. Should I imitate their call ? Should I 
hoist my handkerchief and try to lure them up ? I 
saw that they were too shy; for, at short intervals, 
they threw up their graceful heads, and looked in- 
quiringly around them. I remembered the red 
blanket on my saddle. I could display this upon 
the cactus-bushes, perhaps it would attract them. 

I had no alternative ; and was turning to go back 
for the blanket ; when, all at once, my eye rested 
upon a clay-colored line, running across the prairie, 
beyond where the animals were feeding. It was a 
break in the plain, a buffalo road, or the channel of 
an arroyo, in either case, the very cover I wanted, 
for the animals were not a hundred yards from it ; 
and were getting still nearer to it as they fed. 

Creeping back out of the thicket, I ran along 
the side of the slope toward a point, where I had 
noticed that the ridge was depressed to the prai- 
rie level. Here, to my surprise, I found myself 
on the banks of a broad arroyo, whose water, 
clear and shallow, ran slowly over a bed of sand 
and gypsum. 



238 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 












The banks were low, not over three feet above 
the surface of the water, except where the ridge 
impinged upon the stream. Here there was a high 
bluff; and, hurrying around its base, I entered tho 
channel, and commenced wading upward. 

As I had anticipated, I soon came to a bend 
where the stream, after running parallel to the 
ridge, swept around and canoned through it. At 
this place I stopped, and looked cautiously over 
the bank. The antelopes had approached within 
less than rifle range of the arroyo ; but they were 
yet far above my position. They were still quietly 
feeding, and unconscious of danger. I again bent 
down and waded on. 

It was a difficult task proceeding in this way. 
The bed of the creek was soft and yielding, and I 
was compelled to tread slowly and silently, lest I 
should alarm the game ; but I was cheered in my 
exertions by the prospect of fresh venison for my 
supper. 

After a weary drag of several hundred yards, 
I came opposite to a small clump of wormwood 
bushes, growing out of the bank. "I may be 
high enough," thought I, " these will serve for 
cover." 

I raised my body gradually, until I could see 
through the leaves. I was in the right spot. I 



BY LAND AND SEA. 239 

brought my rifle to a level ; sighted for the heart 
of the buck, and fired. The animal leaped from 
the ground, and fell back lifeless. I was about to 
rush forward, and secure my prize, when I observed 
the doe, instead of running off as I expected, go up 
to her fallen partner, and press her tapering nose to 
his body. She was not more than twenty yards 
from me, and I could plainly see that her look was 
one of inquiry and bewilderment. All at once, she 
seemed to comprehend the fatal truth ; and, throw- 
ing back her head, commenced uttering the most 
piteous cries, at the same time running in circles 
around the body. 

I stood wavering between two minds. My first 
impulse had been to reload, and kill the doe ; but 
her plaintive voice entered my heart, disarming me 
of all hostile intentions. Had I dreamed of wit- 
nessing this painful spectacle, I should not have 
left the trail. But the mischief was now done. "I 
have worse than killed her," thought I, " it will be 
better to despatch her at once." 

Actuated by these principles of common, but to 
her fatal, humanity, I rested the butt of my rifle, 
and reloaded. With a faltering hand, I again lev- 
eled the piece and fired. 

My nerves were steady enough to do the work. 
When the smoke floated aside, I could see the little 



r 



240 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



creature bleeding upon the grass — her head resting 
upon the body of her murdered mate. 

I shouldered my rifle, and was about to move 
forward, when, to " my astonishment, I found that I 
was caught by the feet. I was held firmly as if 
my legs had been held in a vice. 

I made an effort to extricate myself; another, 
more violent, and equally unsuccessful, and, with a 
third, I lost my balance, and fell back upon the 
water. Half suffocated, I regained my upright po- 
sition, but only to find that I was held as fast as 
ever. Again I struggled to free my limbs. I could 
neither move them backward nor forward — to the 
right nor the left; and I became sensible that I 
was gradually going down. Then the fearful truth 
flashed upon me- — I was sinking in a quicksand! 
A feeling of horror came over me. I renewed my 
efforts with the energy of desperation. I leaned to 
one side, then to the other, almost wrenching my 
knees from their sockets. My feet remained as 
fast as ever. I could not move them an inch. 

The soft, clingy sand already overtopped my 
horse-skin boots, wedging them around my ankles, 
so that I was unable to draw them off; and I could 
feel that I was still sinking slowly but surely, as 
though some subterraneous monster was leisurely 
dragging me down. This very thought caused me 



BY LAND AND SEA. 241 

a fresh thrill of horror, and I called aloud for help. 
To whom ? There was no one within miles of 
me — no living thing. Yes! the neigh of my horse 
answered me from the hill, mocking me in my 
despair. 

I bent forward as well as my constrained positioi 
would permit; and, with frenzied fingers commencec 
tearing up the sand. I could barely reach the sur- 
face, and the little hollow I was able to make filled 
up almost as soon as it had been formed. A thought 
occurred to me. My rifle might support me, placed 
horizontally. I looked for it. It was not to be 
seen. It had sunk beneath the sand. Could I 
throw my body flat, and prevent myself from sink- 
ing deeper? No! The water was two feet in depth. 
I should drown at once. This last hope left me as 
soon as formed. I could think of no plan to save 
myself. I could make no further effort. A strange 
stupor seized upon me. My very thoughts became 
paralyzed. I knew that I was going mad. For a 
moment I was mad. 

After an interval, my senses returned. I made 
an effort to rouse my mind from its paralysis, in 
order that I might meet death, which I now be- 
lieved to be certain, as a man should. I stood erect. 
My eyes had sunk to the prairie level, and rested 
upon the still bleeding victims of my cruelty. My 






242 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



heart smote me at the sight. Was I suffering a 
retribution of God? With humbled and penitent 
thoughts, I turned my face to heaven, almost dread- 
ing that some sign of omnipotent anger would scowl 
upon me from above. But no ! The sun was shin- 
ing as bright as ever; and -the blue canopy of the 
world was without a cloud. I gazed upward with 
earnestness known only to the hearts of men in 
positions of peril like mine. 

As I continued to look up, an object attracted my 
attention. Against the sky, I distinguished the out^ 
lines of a large bird. I knew it to be the obscene 
bird of the plains, the buzzard vulture. Whence 
had it come ? Who knows ? Far beyond the reach 
of human eye, it had seen or scented the slaugh- 
tered antelopes; and, on broad, silent wing was now 
descending to the feast of death. Presently an- 
other, and another, and many others, mottled the blue 
field of the heavens, curving and wheeling silently 
earthward. Then the foremost swooped down upon 
the bank, and, after gazing around for a moment, 
flapped off toward its prey. In a few seconds, the 
prairie was black with filthy birds, who clambered 
over the dead antelopes, and beat their wings 
against each other, while they tore out the eyes of 
the quarry with their fetid beaks. And now came 
gaunt wolves, sneaking and hungry, stealing out of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 243 

the cactus thicket; and loping, coward-like, over 
the green swells of the prairie. These, after a bat- 
tle, drove away the vultures, and tore up the prey, 
all the while growling and snapping vengefully at 
each other. " Thank heaven ! I shall at least be 
saved from this." 

I was soon relieved from the sight. My eyes 
had sunk below the level of the bank. I had 
looked my last on the fair, green earth. I could 
now see only the clayey wall that contained the 
river, and the water that ran unheeding past me. 
Once more I fixed my gaze upon the sky, and, with 
prayerful heart, endeavored to resign myself to my 
fate. In spite of my endeavors to be calm, the 
memories of earthly pleasures, and friends, and 
home, came over me, causing me, at intervals, to 
break into wild paroxysms, and make fresh, though 
fruitless struggles. And I was attracted by the 
neighing of my horse. A thought entered my 
mind, filling me with fresh hope. "Perhaps my 
horse — " I lost not a moment. I raised my voice 
to its highest pitch, and called the animal by name. 
I knew that he would come at my call. I had tied 
him but slightly. The cactus limb would snap off. 
I called again, repeating words that were well known 
to him. I listened with a bounding heart. For a 
moment there was silence. Then I heard the quick 



244 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

sounds of his hoof, as though the animal was rear- 
ing and struggling to free himself; then I could 
distinguish the stroke of his heels, in a measured 
and regular gallop. 

Nearer came the sounds ; nearer and clearer, until 
the gallant brute hounded out on the bank above 
me. There he halted, and, flinging back his tossed 
mane, uttered a shrill neigh. He was bewildered, 
and looked upon every side, snorting loudly. 

I knew that, having once seen me, he would not 
stop until he had pressed his nose against my 
cheek — for this was his usual custom. Holding 
out my hands I again uttered the magic words. 
Now looking downward he perceived me, and, 
stretching himself, sprang out into the channel. The 
next moment, I held him by the bridle. There was 
no time to be lost. I was still going down, and my 
arm-pits were fast nearing the surface of the quick- 
sand. I caught the lariat, and, passing it under 
the saddle-girths, fastened it in a tight, firm knot. 
I then looped the trailing end, making it secure 
around my body. I had left enough of the rope, 
between the bit-ring and the girths, to enable me 
to check and guide the animal, in case the drag 
upon my body should be too painful. 

All this while the dumb brute seemed to com- 
prehend what I was about. He knew, too, the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 245 

nature of the ground on which he stood, for, during 
the operation, he kept lifting his feet alternately to 
prevent himself from sinking. My arrangements 
were at length completed, and, with a feeling of 
terrible anxiety, I gave my horse the signal to move 
forward. Instead of going off with a start, the in- 
telligent animal stepped away slowly, as though he 
understood my situation. The lariat tightened, I felt 
my body moving, and the next moment experienced 
a wild delight, a feeling I can not describe, as I found 
myself dragged out of the sand. I sprang to my feet 
with a shout of joy. I rushed up to my steed, and, 
throwing my arms around his neck, kissed him with 
as much delight as I would have kissed a beautiful 
girl. He answered my embrace with a low whimper, 
that told me that I was understood. 

I looked for my rifle. Fortunately, it had not 
sunk deeply, and I soon found it. My boots were 
behind me, but I staid not to look for them, being 
smitten with a wholesome dread of the place where 
I had left them. I was not long in retreating from 
the arroyo; and, mounting, I galloped back to the 
trail. It was sundown before I reached the camp, 
where I was met by the inquiries of my compan- 
ions. I answered all their questions by relating 
my adventures, and, for that night, I was again 
the hero of the camp-fire. 



246 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



CHASED BY A RHINOCEROS. 






On the 22d, says Mr. Cumming, ordering my 
men to move on toward a fountain in the center 
of the plain, I rode forth with Ruyter, and held 
east through a grove of lofty and wide-spreading 
mimosas, most of which were more or less damaged 
by the gigantic strength of a troop of elephants, 
which had passed there about twelve months be- 
fore. Having proceeded about two miles with large 
herds of game on every side, I observed a crusty- 
looking, old bull borele, or black rhinoceros, cocking 
his ears one hundred yards in advance. He had 
not observed us ; and soon after he walked slowly 
toward us, and stood broadside to, eating some 
wait-a-bit thorns within fifty yards of me. I fired 
from my saddle, and sent a bullet in behind his 
shoulder, upon which he rushed forward about one 
hundred yards in tremendous consternation, blowing 
like a grampus, and then stood looking about him. 
Presently he made off. I followed but found it hard 
to come up with him. When I overtook him I saw 
the blood running freely from his wound. 






BY LAND AND SEA. 249 

The chase led through a large herd of blue wil- 
debeests, zebras, and springboks, which gazed at us 
in utter amazement. At length I fired my second 
barrel, but my horse was fidgety, and I missed. I 
continued riding alongside of him, expecting in my 
ignorance that at length he would come to bay, 
which rhinoceroses never do; when suddenly he 
fell flat on his broadside on the ground, but recov- 
ering his feet, resumed his course as if nothing had 
happened. Becoming at last annoyed at the length 
of the chase, as I wished to keep my horses fresh 
for the elephants, and being indiflerent whether I 
got the rhinoceros or not, as I observed that his 
horn was completely worn down with age and the 
violence of his disposition, I determined to bring 
matters to a crisis; so, spurring my horse, I dashed 
ahead, and rode right in his path. Upon this, the 
hideous monster instantly charged me in the most 
resolute manner, blowing loudly through his nos- 
trils; and, although I quickly wheeled about to 
my left, he followed me at such a furious pace 
for several hundred yards, with his horrid horny 
snout within a few yards of my horse's tail, that 
my little Bushman, who was looking on in great 
alarm, thought his master's destruction inevitable. 
It was certainly a very near thing; my horse was 

extremely afraid, and exerted his utmost energies 
11* 



250 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



on the occasion. The rhinoceros, however, wheeled 
about, and continued his former course j and I, be- 
ing perfectly satisfied with the interview which I 
had already enjoyed with him, had no desire to cul- 
tivate his acquaintance any further, and accordingly 
made for camp. 



BURNING OF THE ERIE. 



The steamboat Erie, under command of Captain 
Titus, left the dock at Buffalo on the afternoon of 
August 9th, 1841, laden with merchandise, destined 
for Chicago. As nearly as could be ascertained, she 
had on board about two hundred persons, including 
passengers and crew. 

The boat had been thoroughly overhauled and 
recently varnished. At the moment of her start- 
ing, though the wind was blowing fresh, every thing 
promised a pleasant and prosperous voyage. Noth- 
ing occured to mar this prospect till about eight 
o'clock in the evening, when the boat was off Silver 
Creek, about eight miles from the shore, and thirty- 
three miles from the city, when a slight explosion 
was heard, and immediately, almost instantaneously, 
the whole vessel was enveloped in flames. Among 



BY LAND AND SEA. 251 

the passengers were six painters, who were going 
to Erie to paint the steamboat Madison. They had 
with them some demijohns filled with spirits of tur- 
pentine and varnish, which, unknown to Captain 
Titus, were placed on the boiler-deck directly over 
the boilers. One of the firemen who was saved, 
says he had occasion to go on deck, and seeing 
the demijons, removed them, They were replaced, 
but by whom is not known. Their inflammable 
contents undoubtedly aided the flames in their rapid 
progress, 

Captain Titus, who was on the upper deck at the 
time of the explosion, rushed to the ladies' cabin to 
obtain the life-preservers, of which there were about 
one hundred on board ; but, so violent was the heat, 
he found it impossible to enter the cabin. He re- 
turned to the upper deck, on his way giving orders 
to the engineer to stop the engine, the wind and the 
headway of the boat increasing the fierceness of the 
flames and driving them aft. The engineer replied, 
that in consequence of the flames he could not reach 
the engine. The steersman was instantly directed 
to put the helm hard a-starboard. She swung slowly 
around, heading to the shore, and the boats — there 
were three on board— were then ordered to be low- 
ered. Two of the boats were lowered, but, in con- 
sequence of the heavy sea on, and the headway of 



r 






252 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



the vessel, they both swamped as soon as they 
touched the water. 

We will not attempt to describe the awful and 
appalling condition of the passengers. Some were 
frantic with fear and horror, others plunged head- 
long madly into the water, others again seized upon 
any thing buoyant upon which they could lay hands. 
The small boat forward had been lowered. It was 
alongside the wheel, with three or four persons in 
it, when the captain jumped in, and the boat imme- 
diately dropped astern, filled with water. A lady 
floated by with a life-preserver on. She cried for 
help. There was no safety in the boat. The cap- 
tain threw her the only oar in the boat. She caught 
the oar and was saved. It was Mrs. Lynde of Mil- 
waukee, and she was the only lady who escaped. 

In this condition, the boat, a mass of fierce fire, 
and the passengers and crew endeavoring to save 
themselves by swimming or supporting themselves 
by whatever they could reach, they were found by 
the steamboat Clinton, at about ten o'clock that 
night. The Clinton had left Buffalo in the morn- 
ing, but, in consequence of the wind, had put into 
Dunkirk, She lay there till near sunset, at which 
time she ran out, and had proceeded as far as Bar- 
celona, when just at twilight the fire of the Erie 
was discovered, some twenty miles astern. The 



BY LAND AND SEA. 253 

Clinton iminmediately put about, and reached the 
burning wreck. 

It was a fearful sight. All the upper works 
of the Erie had been burned away. The engine 
was standing, but the hull was a mass of dull, red 
flames. The passengers and crew were floating 
around, screaming in their agony, and shrieking for 
help. The boats of the Clinton were instantly low- 
ered and manned, and every person that could be 
seen or heard was picked up, and every possible 
relief afforded. The Lady, a little steamboat lying 
at Dunkirk, went out of that harbor as soon as 
possible, after the discovery of the fire, and arrived 
soon after the Clinton. By one o'clock in the 
morning, all was still except the melancholy crack- 
ling of the flames. Not a solitary individual could 
be seen or heard on the wild waste of waters. A 
line was then made fast to the remains of the Erie's 
rudder, and an effort made to tow the hapless hulk 
ashore. About this time the Chautauque came up 
and lent her assistance. 

The hull of the Erie was towed within about 
four miles of shore, when it sank in eleven fath- 
oms of water. By this time it was daylight. The 
lines were cast off. The Clinton headed her course 
toward Buffalo, which place she reached about six 
o'clock. 



254 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






Upon inquiry it was found that there had been 
between thirty and forty cabin passengers, of whom 
ten or twelve were ladies. In the steerage there 
were about one hundred and forty passengers, 
nearly all of whom were Swiss and German emi- 
grants. The whole number of persons on board, 
who were saved, did not exceed twenty-seven. 

All that imagination can conceive of the terri- 
ble and heart-rending was realized in the awful 
destruction of this boat Scores sank despairingly 
under the wild waters; but there is reason to fear 
that many, very many, strong men, helpless women, 
and tender children perished in the flames. 

Among the passengers were a young gentleman 
and lady, who first became acquainted with each 
other on board. The lady was accompanied by her 
father. Upon an intimacy of a few hours an at- 
tachment seems to have been formed between this 
couple. When the passengers rushed to the deck, 
after the bursting forth of the flames, the lady dis- 
covered her new acquaintance on a distant part of 
the deck, forced her way to him, and implored him 
to save her. The only alternative left them was to 
jump overboard, or to submit to a more horrible 
fate. They immediately jumped, the gentleman 
making the first plunge, with a. y^w, of s^c^ring^ 
for the young and fair beift§, who had measurably- 



u 



BY LAND AND SEA. 255 

committed to his hands her safety, a plank floating 
a short distance from the boat. As soon as the 
plank was secured, the lady leaped into the water, 
and was buoyed up by her clothes, until the gentle- 
man was enabled to float the plank to her. For 
a short time the young man thought that his fair 
charge was safe; but soon his hopes were blasted — 
one of the fallen timbers struck the lady on the 
head, her form sank upon the water, a momentary 
quivering was perceptible, and she disappeared from 
human view. Her father was lost, but the young 
gentleman was among the number picked up by the 
Clinton. 

There was a fine race-horse on board, who, soon 
after the alarm, broke from his halter at the bow of 
the boat, and dashed through the crowd of passen- 
gers, prostrating all in his way ; and then, rendered 
frantic by terror and pain, he reared and plunged 
into the devouring fire, and there ended his agony. 

One of the persons saved, in describing the scene, 
says: — "The air was filled with shrieks of agony 
and despair. The boldest turned pale. I shall never 
forget the wail of terror that went up from the poor 
German emigrants, who were huddled together on 
the forward deck. Wives clung to their husbands, 
mothers frantically pressed their babes to their, 
bosoms, and lovers clung madly to each other. Ona 



256 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



.[ 



venerable old man, his gray hairs streaming on the 
wind, stood on the bows, and, stretching out his 
bony hands, prayed to God in the language of his 
father-land. 

" But if the scene forward was terrible, that aft 
was appalling, for there the flames were raging in 
their greatest fury. Some madly rushed into the 
fire ; others, with a yell like a demon, maddened 
with the flames, which were all around them, sprang 
headlong into the waves. The officers of the boat, 
and the crew, were generally cool, and sprang to 
lower the boats, but these were every one succes- 
sively swamped by those who threw themselves into 
them, regardless of the execrations of the sailors, 
and of every thing but their own safety. 

" I tried to act coolly — I kept near the captain, 
who seemed to take courage from despair, and 
whose bearing was above all praise. The boat was 
Veering toward the shore, but the maddened flames 
now enveloped the wheel-house, and in a moment 
the • machinery stopped. The last hope had left 
us — a wilder shriek rose upon the air. At this 
moment the second engineer, the one at the time 
on duty, who had stood by his machinery as long 
as it would work, was seen climbing the gallows- 
head, a black mass, with the flames curling all 
around him. On either side he could not go, for 



BY LAND AND SEA. 257 

it was now one mass of fire. He sprang upward, 
came to the top, one moment felt madly around 
him, and then fell into the flames. There was no 
more remaining on board, for the boat now broached 
around and rolled upon the swelling waves, a mass 
of fire. I seized upon a settee near me, and gave 
one spring, just as the flames were bursting through 
the deck where I stood — one moment more and I 
should have been in the flames. In another instant 
I found myself tossed on a wave, grasping my frail 
support with a desperate energy." 

One of the not least interesting facts connected 
w r ith the catastrophe, was that the helmsman was 
found burnt to a cinder at his post. He had not 
deserted it even in the last extremity, but grasped 
with his charred fingers the wheel. His name was 
Luther Fuller. Honor to his memory ! 

A boy of twelve years of age, named Levi T. 
Beebee, belonging to Cleveland, Ohio, was among 
those saved. He exhibited a degree of self-posses- 
sion and fortitude rarely surpassed. Though molten 
lead from the burning deck was dropping on his 
head, and his hands were scorched by the flames, 
he clung for at least two hours and a half to the 
chain leading from the stern to the rudder. 



258 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



CONFLICT WITH AN INDIAN. 



David Morgan had settled upon the Mononga- 
hela during the early part of the revolutionary war, 
and at this time had ventured to occupy a cabin at 
the distance of several miles from any settlement. 

One morning, having sent his younger children 
out to a field at a considerable distance from the 
house, he became uneasy about them, and repaired 
to the spot where they were working. He was 
armed, as usual, with a good rifle. While sitting 
upon the fence and giving some directions as to 
their work, he observed two Indians upon the other 
side of the field gazing earnestly upon the party. 
He instantly called to the children to make their 
escape, while he should attempt to cover their 
retreat. 

The odds were greatly against him, as in addi- 
tion to other circumstances, he was nearly seventy 
years of age, and, of course, unable to contend with 
his enemies in running. The house was more than 
a mile distant, but the children, having two hundred 



BY LAND AND SEA. 259 

yards the start, and being effectually covered by 
their father, were soon so far in front, that the In- 
dians turned their attention entirely to the old man. 
He ran for several hundred yards with an activity 
which astonished himself, but perceiving that he 
would be overtaken, long before he could reach his 
home, he fairly turned at bay, and prepared for a 
strenuous resistance. The woods through which 
they were running were very thin, and consisted 
almost entirely of small trees, behind which, it was 
difficult to obtain proper shelter. 

Morgan had just passed a large walnut, and, in 
order to resist with advantage, it became necessary 
to run back about ten steps in order to regain it. 
The Indians were startled at the sudden advance of 
the fugitive, and halted among a cluster of saplings, 
where they anxiously strove to shelter themselves. 
This, however, was impossible ; and Morgan, who 
was an excellent marksman, saw enough' of the per- 
son of one of them to justify him in risking a shot. 
His enemy instantly fell, mortally wounded. 

The other Indian, taking advantage of Morgan's 
empty gun, sprung from the shelter, and advanced 
rapidly upon him. The old man, having no time to 
reload, was compelled to fly a second time. The 
Indian gained rapidly upon him, and, when within 
twenty steps, fired, but with so unsteady an aim, 



260 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






that Morgan was wholly unhurt, the ball having 
passed over his shoulder. 

He now again stood at bay, clubbing his rifle for 
a blow, while the Indian, dropping his empty gun, 
brandished his tomahawk and prepared to throw it 
at his enemy. Morgan struck with the butt of his 
gun, and the Indian hurled his tomahawk at one 
and the same moment. Both blows took effect; 
and both of the combatants were at once wounded 
and disarmed. The breech of the rifle was broken 
against the Indian's skull, and the edge of the tom- 
ahawk was shattered against the barrel of the rifle, 
having first cut off two of the fingers of Morgan's 
left hand. The Indian then attempting to draw his 
knife, Morgan grappled him, and bore him to the 
ground. A furious struggle ensued, in which the 
old man's strength failed, and the Indian succeeded 
in turning him. 

Planting his knee on the breast of his enemy, 
and yelling loudly, as is usual with the barbarians 
upon any turn of fortune, he again felt for his knife, 
in order to terminate the struggle at once ; but 
having lately stolen a woman's apron, and tied it 
around his waist, his knife was so much confined, 
that he had great difficulty in finding the handle. 

Morgan, in the meantime, being an accomplished 
pugilist, and perfectly at home in a ground struggle, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 263 

took advantage of the awkwardness of the Indian, 
and got one of the fingers of his right hand between 
his teeth. The Indian tugged and roared in vain, 
struggling to extricate it. Morgan held him fast, 
and began to assist him in hunting for the knife. 
Each seized it at the same moment, the Indian by 
the blade, and Morgan by the handle, but with a 
very slight hold. 

The Indian, having the firmest hold, began to 
draw the knife further out of its sheath, when 
Morgan, suddenly giving his finger a furious bite, 
twitched the knife dexterously through his hand, 
cutting it severely. Both now sprung to their feet, 
Morgan brandishing his adversary's knife, and still 
holding his finger between his teeth. In vain the 
poor Indian struggled to get away, rearing, plung- 
ing, and bolting, like an unbroken colt. The teeth 
of the white man were like a vice, and he at length 
succeeded in giving his savage foe a stab in the 
side. The Indian received it without falling, the 
knife having struck his ribs; but a second blow, 
aimed at the stomach, proved more effectual, and 
the savage fell. Morgan thrust the knife, handle 
and all, into the body, directed it upward,. and, 
starting to his feet, made the best of his way home. 



264 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



FIRE ON THE PRAIRIES. 

The following account of one of those fearfully 
sublime spectacles — a fire on the prairie — is from 
the " Wild Western Scenes" by J. B. Jones. The 
hunters have been out and are overtaken by night, 
and are lost in the darkness. 

Ere long, a change came over the scene. iU)out 
two-thirds of the distance around the verge of the 
horizon a faint light appeared, resembling the scene 
when a dense curtain of clouds hangs overhead, and 
the rays of the morning sun steal under the edge 
of the thick vapor. But the stars could be seen, 
and the only appearance of clouds was immediately 
above the circle of light. In a very few minutes 
the terrible truth flashed upon the mind of Glenn. 
The dim light along the horizon was changed to an 
approaching flame. Columns of smoke could be seen 
rolling upward, while the fire beneath imparted a 
lurid glare to them. The wind blew more fiercely, 
and the fire approached from almost every quarter 
with the swiftness of a race-horse. The darkened 
vault above became gradually illuminated with a 
crimson reflection, and the young man shuddered 



BY LAND AND SEA. 265 

with the horrid apprehension of being burnt alive ! 
It was madness to proceed in a direction that must 
inevitably hasten their fate, the fire extending in 
one unbroken line from left to right, and in front 
of them, and they now turned in a course which 
seemed to place the greatest distance between them 
and the furious element. Ever and anon a fright- 
ened deer or elk leaped past, and the hounds no 
longer noticed them, but remained close to the 
horses. The flames came on with awful rapidity. 
The light increased in brilliance, and objects were 
distinguishable far over the prairie. A red glare 
could be seen on the sides of the deer as they 
bounded over the tall dry grass, which was soon to 
be no longer a refuge for them. The young man 
heard a low continued roar, that increased every 
moment in loudness, and, looking in the direction 
whence they supposed it proceeded, they observed 
an immense, dark, moving mass, the nature of which 
they could not divine, but it threatened to annihi- 
late every thing that opposed it. While gazing at 
this additional source of danger, the horses, blinded 
by the surrounding light, plunged into a deep ditch 
that the rain had washed in the rich soil. Neither 
men nor horses, fortunately, were injured; and, af- 
ter several ineffectual efforts to extricate themselves, 

they here resolved to await the coming of the fire. 
12 



mm 



266 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



Ringwood and Jowler Avhined fearfully on the verge 
of the ditch for an instant, and then sprang in and 
crouched trembling at the feet of their master. The 
next instant the dark, thundering mass passed over- 
head, being nothing less than an immense herd of 
buffaloes driven forward by the flames. The horses 
bowed their heads as if a thunderbolt were passing. 
The fire and the heavens were hid from view, and 
the roar above resembled the rush of mighty waters 
When the last animal had sprung over the chasm, 
Glenn thanked the propitious accident that thus 
providentially prevented him from being crushed 
to atoms, and uttered a prayer to Heaven that he 
might by a like means be rescued from the fiery 
ordeal that awaited him. It now occurred to him 
that the accumulation of weeds and grass in the 
chasm, which saved them from injury when falling 
in, would prove fatal when the flames arrived. And 
after groping some distance along the trench, he 
found the depth diminished, but the fire was not 
three hundred paces distant. His heart sank within 
him. But when on the eve of returning to his for- 
mer position, with a resolution to remove as much 
of the combustible matter as possible, a gleam of 
joy spread over his features, as, casting a glance in 
a contrary directioii from that they had recently 
pursued, he beheld the identical mound he had 






BY LAND AND SEA. 2G7 

ascended before dark, and from which his unsteady 
and erratic riding in the night had fortunately pre- 
vented a distant separation. They now led their 
horses forth, and, mounting without delay, whipped 
forward for life or death. Could the summit of the 
mound be attained, they were in safety — -for there 
the soil was not encumbered with decayed vegeta- 
tion — and they spurred their animals to the top 
of their speed. It was a noble sight to see the 
majestic white steed flying toward the mound with 
the velocity of the wind, while the diminutive pony 
miraculously followed in the wake like an insepa- 
rable shadow. The careering flames were not far 
behind, and, when the horses gained the summit 
and Glenn looked back, the fire had reached the 
base ! 

Fortunately, that portion of the plain over which 
the scathing element had spent its fury, was the di- 
rection the party should pursue in retracing their 
way homeward. 

The light, dry grass had been soon consumed, 
and the earth now wore a blackened appearance, 
and was as smooth as if vegetation had never cov- 
ered the surface. As the party rode briskly along, 
(and the pony now kept in advance,) the horses' 
hoofs rattled as loudly on the baked ground as 
if it were a plank floor. The reflection of the 



268 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



fire iii the distance still threw a lurid glare over 
the extended heath. As the smoke gradually as- 
cended, objects could be discerned at a great dis- 
tance, and occasionally a half-roasted deer or elk 
was seen plunging about, driven to madness by 
its tortures. And frequently they found the dead 
bodies of smaller animals that could find no safety 
in flight. 



THE CAPTAIN'S STORY. 



At the close of the war with Great Britain, in 
the year 1815, 1 took command of the brig Ganges, 
owned by Ebenezer Sage, Esq., then a wealthy and 
respectable merchant at Middleton. I sailed from 
New York on the 20th of August, bound for Turk's 
Island for a cargo of salt, and, on the 5 th of Sep- 
tember, I arrived at my destined port. It being 
the season for hurricanes in that region, it was 
thought most safe for us to go around into a small 
harbor on the south side of the island. In order to 
reach this harbor, we had to go through a narrow, 
crooked channel, with rocks and dangerous reefs on 
every side, but, with a skillful pilot, we made our 
way through safely, and came to anchor. On the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 2G9 

next clay we commenced taking in our cargo of salt. 
On the 9th of September, a day that I shall ever 
remember, my pilot came to me somewhat agitated, 
and said that there were strong indications of an 
approaching hurricane, and advised me to make all 
possible preparations to encounter it. 

We therefore quit taking in salt, and made every 
thing about the ship snug as possible. At twelve 
o'clock, midnight, the gale commenced, as the pilot 
had anticipated, and continued to increase until six 
in the morning, at which time it became most ter- 
rific. Every blast grew more and more violent 
until our cables all parted, and we were left to the 
mercy of the gale. It blew directly from the land. 
We got the ship before the wind, as the only course 
we could pursue. In doing this we were well aware 
of the dangerous channel we had to pass, and my 
only hope was, that we might get to sea clear of 
the land. But this hope soon vanished. In about 
twenty minutes after we started, the ship struck a 
rock, which knocked off her rudder, and set her leak- 
ing badly. The rudder being gone, we of course liad 
no control of the vessel. She came around side to 
the wind, and at this moment her mainmast was 
blown over the side. We at once cut aAvay the rig- 
ging that attached it to the hull, and it floated off, 
and the foremast still standing, the ship swung off 



270 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






again a little before the wind. All hands were soon 
set to pumping, but we found that in spite of all our 
exertions, the water rapidly increased in the hold. 
The appearance of the elements at this time 
almost baffles description. So violent was their 
commotion that no one could stand without grasp- 
ing something for support. Not a word could be 
heard that was uttered. I had to communicate 
every order by means of signs, while I stood on 
the quarter-deck holding on to the cabin doors. In 
this situation I endeavored calmly to reflect. Here 
we were, as we supposed, on the open ocean, — in 
a tempest of unparalleled violence — with no rud- 
der — one mast gone — boats all lost — and the ship 
settling under us from the weight of water in 
the hold. The sky was black almost as midnight 
above us, and the waves beneath, and around, 
and over us — for they dashed at quick intervals, 
like so many furies, across the devoted ship — 
seemed ready to drown us ere we sank into their 
dread abyss. The voice of the gale as it howled 
through the rigging, mingled with the creaking 
of timbers, and the roar of waters as they struck 
the vessel, was an awful wail, as it appeared to 
me, over bodies devoted to almost instant death. 
Destruction seemed inevitable. It would not, to 
all human calculation, be protracted even an hour. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 271 

We were sinking down, down — inch following inch 
of the fated vessel in rapid succession — down rem- 
edilessly to our graves in the maddened sea, amid 
the monsters of its great deep. 

I descended to the cabin, and attempted calmly 
to surrender myself to Him who made me. My 
thoughts — oh, how they flew at once to my wife 
and children at home ! I attempted to pray, and 
for the first time since I had left my pious mother. 
I did pray — for my family first — and oh how fer- 
vently, in closing my supplications, I besought for 
myself pardon and forgiveness through Ilim who 
is ever ready to hear the penitent ! 

The water had now got on to the cabin floor. I 
therefore placed myself on the stairs leading on 
deck. Shortly after this the wind shifted, and in 
a few minutes the ship struck with a tremendous 
crash. I rushed on deck, and at once saw rocks 
fifty feet high, and perpendicular, but a few feet 
from the after part of the ship, which now soon 
filled with water, and rolled over toward the land. 
At its fore part, and at the only point where we 
could by any possibility have been saved, the rocks 
descended gradually, and the foremast leaned over 
them. Not a moment was to be lost. We crawled 
up the rigging, and, swinging ourselves on to the 
rocks, made our way up the precipice on our hands 



272 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 












and feet, and, reaching the summit, at once sought, 
in holes in the rock, shelter from the tempest, which 
still continued so violent that no one could stand 
upon his feet. 

Our escape happened about ten o'clock in the 
morning; at five in the afternoon the gale had so 
moderated that we could stand. We then crawled 
out from our hiding places, and, assembling together, 
found that all were safe except my brother, who w T as 
mate of the ship, and he, we supposed, was lost, in 
attempting to get on shore. We soon, as was very 
natural, approached the precipice to learn the fate 
of the ship. Nothing w r as to be seen of her but 
plank, timbers, spars, sails, and rigging, all in one 
confused, broken mass, and washing up against the 
rocks. It was truly to us a most deplorable specta- 
cle. We had no resource in the vessel ; not a thing 
of value was left. 

As night was approaching, we now walked along 
before the wind toward the south part of the island, 
and there found, by the side of a huge pile of rocks, 
a hole or sort of cave, about eight feet square and 
five feet high. Here we all crawled in, wet and 
cold, but with hearts grateful to God for our won- 
derful preservation. As we were packed very close 
to each other, the natural warmth of our bodies 
soon relieved us considerably from the sensation of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 273 

wetness and cold, and we passed the night as com 

fortably as our varied miseries would allow. 

Morning came, and we left our cave. The gale 

had much abated, and w T e could see some distance. 

We found that we were on a small desolate island, 

about a mile long, half a mile wide, and about ten 

miles from the place we left the day before. It was 

covered mostly with huge rocks, with here and there 

a small patch of soil, overrun with prickly pear, and 

. . . . ► 

inhabited by no living animal excepting lizards and 

small poisonous snakes. We had been now over 
twenty-four hours without food or water. Of the 
latter article, on searching around, we found a little 
in the hollows on the rocks, but it was about half 
salt, having been made so by the spray which the 
gale had thrown from the ocean quite over the isl- 
and, and the more we drank of it the more thirsty 
we became. As to food, we were soon convinced 
that this was out of the question. Toward night, 
we found a cask near the beach, standing on one 
end, with one head out, which held about two gal- 
lons of water, that had rained in. This was not salt, 
but smelled badly. We, however, scooped out with 
our hands about one half of it, and left what re- 
mained for the next day. We got some relief from 
this, and then we returned to our former resting- 
place for the night. 
12* 



274 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



! ! 






When we crawled out on the following morning, 
we found that the weather had become fine and 
clear. We could see vessels passing at a short 
distance from us, but had no means of making any 
signal, nor any for leaving the shore. This being 
the third day of our distress and privation, some of 
us began to suffer much from hunger. Others suf- 
fered more from thirst. We, however, cheered each 
other with the faint hope that some thing would ap- 
pear for our relief. We wandered about as we had 
done the day before, seeking for water but found 
none. We had nothing to dig with but our hands; 
these we used, but in vain; no w r ater appeared* 
Toward night we went to the cask, and drank what 
remained there. We then returned again to our 
cave for the night, all much exhausted and low- 
spirited. Despair began to shade every countenance. 
Very little was said, and we passed the night well 
as we could, pressed by hunger and parched by 
thirst. Morning came, and again we all left our 
shelter. The weather continued fine and clear. The 
men again separated in search of water, but being 
myself very feeble, I took my seat on some rocks 
near the cave, at a point from whence I could see 
every thing moving on the water, and with a lin- 
gering hope that something would appear for our 
deliverance. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 275 

About ten o'clock, an object loomed up in the 
distance. I thought it was a boat, but could not 
at once tell. It approached, and soon I saw it 
distinctly. It ivas a boat, with one sail, and was 
steering directly for a low beach not far from where 
I was seated. My feelings at this moment were 
so overcome that I lost all power of utterance. I 
could not, at first, rise from the rock, My strength, 
however, shortly returned a little, and I got up and 
made all the noise I could. Some of the men near 
at hand heard me, and came up. I at once pointed 
to the boat, which was now near the shore. They 
shouted to their companions, and we were all soon 
at the beach near where the boat was landed. A 
black man got out of the boat, and came to me with 
a letter — but, before reading it, I besought him for 
water. To my surprise he had none, but instead of 
it had a bottle of rum and a small bag of biscuit. I 
told him to bring these on shore, and, taking them, 
I gave each of my crew a swallow of the rum and a 
biscuit. This had the effect of moistening a little 
our parched mouths and tongues. I then opened 
the letter. It was from my warm and faithful friend 
Mr. Tucker, of Turk's Island, and it read as follows, 
omitting my name: 

" To Captain , or any other unfortunate per- 
son or persons who may be found on any of the 



276 



TIIRILLTNG ADVENTURES 









neighboring islands. Come as many as can safely 
and, should any be left, I will find means to convey 
those that remain." 

The two men, who came in the boat, hesitated 
about taking all of us at once, as we were nine in 
number, and with themselves might overload the 
boat. We could not, however, bear the thought 
of leaving any behind. We therefore all got aboard, 
shoved off, and made sail. We had a fair wind, and 
a smooth sea, and at six o'clock arrived safely at 
the harbor we had left. Many persons ran to the 
beach to meet us as we landed, and among the rest 
was our deliverer, Mr. Tucker. 

The next morning, my friend and deliverer gave 
me a brief history of what had taken place with 
himself and his fellow-inhabitants on the island, du- 
ring the gale. Many of their houses were levelled 
to the ground, and some were blown into the sea. 
Their cisterns, their only dependence for water, 
were mostly destroyed. Even the cannon mounted 
on a small battery were dismounted, and most of 
the inhabitants were in great distress. Every vessel 
and boat, that floated about the island, were blown 
to sea or destroyed. Out of the twenty vessels that 
were at the island on which Mr. Tucker lived, when 
the gale came on, only six were heard ever from after. 
Five out of these six were wrecked on adjacent 



u 



BY LAND AND SEA. 277 

islands, and every soul on board three of these per- 
ished. The gale was said, by the oldest inhabitants, 
to be the most violent ever known in that region. 
We remained on the island ten or twelve days, and 
then, taking passage in a ship bound for New York, 
reached that city safely on the last of November. 



A TUSSLE WITH A WILDCAT. 

In 1781, Lexington, Ky., was only a cluster of 
cabins, one of which, near the spot where the court- 
house now stands, was used as a schoolhouse. One 
morning, in May, McKinley, the teacher, was sitting 
alone at his desk, busily engaged in writing, when, 
hearing a slight noise at the door, he turned and 
beheld an enormous wildcat, with her fore feet upon 
the step, her tail curled over her back, her bristles 
erect, and her eyes glaring rapidly about the room, 
as if in search of a mouse. 

McKinley's position at first completely concealed 
him, but a slight and involuntary motion of his chair 
attracted the cat's attention, and their eyes met. 
McKinley, having heard much of the powers of 
" the human face divine," in quelling the audacity 












278 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



It I' ! 



I 






of wild animals, attempted to disconcert the intruder 
by a frown. But puss was not to be bullied. Her 
eyes flashed fire, her tail waved angrily, and she 
began to gnash her teeth. She was evidently bent 
on mischief. Seeing his danger, McKinley hastily 
rose, and attempted to snatch a cylindrical rule from 
a table which stood within reach, but the cat was 
too quick for him. 

Darting furiously upon him, she fastened upon 
his side with her teeth, and began to rend and tear 
with her claws. McKinley 's clothes were soon in 
tatters, and his flesh dreadfully mangled by the en- 
raged animal, whose strength and ferocity filled him 
with astonishment. He in vain attempted to disen- 
gage her from his side. Her long, sharp teeth were 
fastened between his ribs, and his efforts served but 
to enrage her the more. Seeing his blood flow very 
copiously from the numerous wounds in his side, he 
became seriously alarmed, and, not knowing what 
else to do, he threw himself upon the edge of the 
table, and pressed her against the sharp corner with 
the whole weight of his body. 

The cat now began to utter the most wild and 
discordant cries, and McKinley, at the same time, 
lifting up his voice in concert, the two together sent 
forth notes so doleful as to alarm the whole town. 
Women, who are generally the first to hear and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 279 

spread news, were now the first to come to McKin- 
ley's assistance. But so strange and unearthly was 
the harmony within the schoolhouse, that they hes- 
itated long before venturing to enter. At length, 
the boldest of them rushed in, and, seeing poor 
McKinley bending over the corner of the table, she 
at first supposed that he was laboring under a se- 
vere fit of the colic ; but quickly perceiving the 
cat, which was now in the agonies of death, she 
screamed out, " Why, good heavens, Mr. McKinley, 
what is the matter?" 

" I have caught a cat, madam ! " he gravely re- 
plied, turning round, while the sweat streamed from 
his face under the mingled operations of fright, 
fatigue, and pain. 

Most of the neighbors had now arrived. They 
attempted to disengage the dead cat ; but so firmly 
were her tusks locked between his ribs, that this 
was a work of no small difficulty. McKinley suf- 
fered severely for a time from the effects of his 
w T ounds, but at length fully recovered, and lived 
to a good old age. He was heard to say, that of 
all the pupils that ever came to his school, the wild- 
cat w T as the most intractable ; that he would at any 
time rather fiii'ht two Indians than one wildcat. 



280 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



U 



AN INCIDENT m FRONTIER LIFE. 

A daughter of Boone's, and a Miss Calloway, 
were amusing themselves in the immediate neigh- 
borhood of the fort, when a party of Indians rushed 
from a canebrake, and, intercepting their return, took 
them prisoners. The screams of the terrified girls 
quickly alarmed the family. Boone hastily collected 
a party of eight men, and pursued the enemy. So 
much time, however, had been lost, that the Indians 
had got several miles the start of them. The pur- 
suit was urged through the night with great keen- 
ness by woodsmen capable of following a trail at all 
times. On the following day they came up with the 
fugitives, and fell upon them so suddenly and so 
furiously as to allow them no leisure for tomahawk- 
ing their prisoners. The girls were rescued, without 
having sustained any other injury than excessive 
fright and fatigue. The Indians lost two men, while 
Boone's party was uninjured. 



i: 



BY LAND AND SEA. 283 



FEMALE INTREPIDITY. 

In 1782, Wheeling was besieged by a large num- 
ber of British and Indians. So sudden and unex- 
pected was the attack, that no time was afforded 
for preparation. The fort, at the period of the 
assault was commanded by Colonel Silas Zane. The 
senior officer, Colonel Ebenezer Zane, was in a block- 
house some fifty or a hundred yards outside of the 
wall. The enemy made several desperate assaults 
to break into the fort, but at every onset they were 
driven back. The ammunition for the defence of the 
fort was deposited in the blockhouse, and there 
had not been time to remove it before the Indians 
approached. 

On the afternoon of the second day of the siege, 
the powder of the fort was nearly exhausted, and 
no alternative remained, but for some one to pass 
through the enemy's fire to the blockhouse, in order 
to obtain a supply. When Silas Zane made the prop- 
osition to the men, asking if any one would under- 
take the hazardous enterprise, all at first were silent 
After looking at one another for some time, a young 



284 



THRILLING ADVENTXJRES 



man stepped forward, and said he would undertake 
the errand. Immediately, half a dozen offered their 
services in the dangerous enterprise. 

While they were disputing as to who should go, 
Elizabeth, sister of the Zanes, came forward and 
declared, that she would go for the powder. Her 
brother thought she would flinch from the enter- 
prise, but he was mistaken. She had the intrepid- 
ity to dare, and the fortitude to accomplish the 
undertaking. Her brother then tried to dissuade 
her from her heroic purpose, b} r saying that a man 
would be more fleet, and consequently would run 
less risk of losing his life. 

She replied, that they had not a man to spare" 
from the defence of the fort, and that if she should 
fall, she would scarcely be missed. Then divesting 
herself of such articles of clothing as would impede 
the celerity of her flight, she prepared to start. 

The gate was opened, and Elizabeth bounded out 
at the top of her speed, and ran until she arrived at 
the door of the blockhouse. Her brother, Colonel 
Zane, hastened to open the door to his intrepid sis- 
ter. The Indians did not fire a gun, but exclaimed, 
as if in astonishment, "Squaiv! squaw! squaw!" 

When she had told her errand, her brother took a 
tablecloth, fastened it around her waist, and poured 
into it a keg of powder. She then sallied back 



BY LAND AND SEA. 285 

to the fort, in high spirits. The moment she was 
outside of the blockhouse, the whole of the ene- 
my's line fired at her, but the shower of balls fell 
without doing her any injury. She reached the 
fort in safety, and the garrison was, in conse- 
quence, enabled successfully to repel their savage 
foe. Such an instance of female daring is worthy 
of all commemoration. 



FEARFUL ENCOUNTER WITH ROBBERS. 

The Madrid papers recite the particulars of a 
terrific scene which took place on the 14th of 
August, 1851, at the house of Don Diego Garcia, 
an old nobleman, who resided in the vicinity of 
that capital: 

The night was dark and tempestuous. The rain 
poured down in torrents, and induced the night- 
watch, who had been reinforced since the recent 
augmentations of crime in the environs of the cap- 
ital, to keep close to their quarters. The roads 
were completely deserted, and at long intervals only 
the shadow of a human figure flitted past the huge 
portals of Don Diego's mansion, in anxious haste 
toward its habitation. 



286 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



Juan Munoz, the Don's old valet, had been sent 
to this city, by his master, and was now making 
the best of his way home. His errand to the capi- 
tal had been to procure some medicine Which his 
master had been ordered to take, he being at the 
time violently afflicted by the gout. Juan, as we 
have said, was picking his way, as best he could, 
through the deluged streets and roads, when, just 
as he came in sight of the mansion, he heard the 
voices of a number of men behind him, and suppos- 
ing them to be a party of his fellow-servants who 
had been sent in search of him, since he had been 
much later than he expected to be, he drew back 
into an open recess to await their approach. He 
discovered that he was deceived in his expectations; 
the men were strangers to him, or, at least, he did 
not know their voices, but, while passing him, he 
plainly heard the name of his master pronounced 
by one of their number, and, stepping forward, he 
asked if they wished to see Don Diego that night. 
The men seemed perfectly stupefied by his sudden 
apparition, but they soon recovered from their sur- 
prise, and, after ascertaining that he was alone, he 
was politely asked to go before them and show the 
way. Scarcely had he proceeded a dozen yards, 
when a violent blow on the head laid him pros- 
trate; a knife was then twice thrust into his breast, 



BY LAND AND S"EA. 287 

and the lifeless body was hurled into the middle 
of the road. 

It was close upon midnight, when the wife of 
Don Diego, while tending her sick husband, was 
startled by a noise from the adjoining room. She 
immediately rang the bell, and was answered by 
the major domo, the only servant who had not re- 
tired to rest, being determined to await the return 
of Juan. As he entered, the door leading to the 
ante-chamber was also quickly opened, and on the 
threshold appeared five masked men, who were 
evidently unprepared to find more than one inmate 
in the sick chamber. Quick as thought the major- 
domo attempted to reach the bell-rope, that by a 
violent alarm he might awake the sleepers and ob- 
tain their aid, but quicker even than he was the 
leader of the masked band, who seized a pistol 
from his belt, and, with unerring aim, discharged 
it at the devoted servant. There was a faint cry : 
the old servant stretched out his hands for support, 
and then, with a heavy groan, fell to the floor, where 
death closed his eyes. 

This unexpected catastrophe seemed to spur on 
the robbers to instant work. "While one man was 
posted at each door, the three others insisted upon 
being informed by Don Diego where he kept his 
money and valuables ; but the sick old man had 



klOO THRILLING ADVENTURES 

sank into so complete a lethargy by the dreadful 
event which had passed under his eye, that he was 
unable to answer them. As rapidity of movement 
was, however, rendered peremptory to insure the 
safety of the band, the chief addressed the Donna 
for the same purpose, in answer to which, she 
evinced but little reluctance, and bade them to fol- 
low her. The robbers at once declared their readi- 
ness, and, after passing along the corridor, entered 
the dining saloon, where the Donna pointed out a. 
large box, which, she said, contained the plate. Here 
another difficulty arose. The box, which in reality 
contained the plate, was securely locked, and the 
key nowhere to be found. Anxious to get at the 
rich booty, the leader, with an angry imprecation, 
put the muzzle of his heavy horse-pistol to the lock; 
a sharp report followed, and the lid thus unceremo- 
niously opened offered no farther obstacle to the 
rapacity of the invaders. Donna Ignazia took ad- 
vantage of the joyful excitement of the band, and 
left the room to descend into the lower story of the 
mansion, where her hurried summons at the chain 
ber doors of the servants were readily responded to 
by them, as they had already been awoke by the 
double report in their master's apartments. The 
tempest, which had raged so fearfully, had mean- 
while ceased; the torrents of rain were followed by 



BY LAND AND SEA. 289 

a clear night; the fury of the elements appeared 
as though, in momentary rest, they would gather 
strength for a fresh outbreak — nature's wrath had 
given place to the wrath of man. 

The inanimate body of Juan Munoz had been 
discovered by a patrolling body of soldiery, who car- 
ried it to the guard-house. The stabs were found 
to be of minor consequence, and the blow on the 
head, although it had caused a very severe wound, 
had occasioned only a temporary loss of conscious- 
ness. It must be borne in mind, that two hours 
had nearly elapsed between the assault upon Mu- 
noz and the entrance into the house by the robbers, 
which time had probably been spent by them in 
various efforts to gain access. Strong restoratives, 
judiciously applied, soon brought back animation, 
and, shortly afterward, Munoz could give a confused 
narrative of what had befallen him. The officer on 
duty at once saw through the scheme, and gave 
orders to proceed to the mansion of Don Diego, 
which they reached at the precise moment when 
Donna Ignazia, with an armed body of her own 
servants, was leading them to the dining saloon. 
The summons of the officer at the front door was 
followed by a dead silence on the part of the rob- 
bers : but when they heard the measured tramp of 
the soldiery on the staircase, they sought for means 



290 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



of instant flight. This, however, had been pro- 
vided for; a portion of the military had surrounded 
the house, while the others, reinforced by the ser- 
vants, approached. The only chance then left to 
the brigands was to .cut their way through, or sell 
their lives as dearly as possible. In an instant the 
huge oaken doors of the saloon were closed and 
barred, the lights were extinguished, the windows 
opened, and everything made ready for the last des- 
perate chance. Fortune favored them; for the sol- 
diery, not anticipating a leap of their enemies from 
the high windows, withdrew their sentinels from 
there in order to make them guard the side and rear 
outlets of the mansion. Two of the bold ruffians 
had already made their descent by means of table- 
cloths, tied together, when the alarm was given. 
The soldiers rushed to the spot — a third robber was 
clinging to the frail chance for life, and was rapidly 
descending, but a well-directed shot bereft him of 
strength, and, after a few frantic efforts to retain 
his hold, he fell heavily to the ground. His two 
comrades made a firm stand: but vain was their 
boldness against the numbers of assailants, and in 
a few moments they fell, grievously wounded, into 
the hands of the victors. 

Two more only remained of this desperate band, 
and the fact of their being shielded by strong bolts 



BY LAND AND SEA. 291 

massive Avails, rendered them no insignificant ene- 
mies. Ladders were placed against the windows, 
but the true aim of the keen-eyed brigands made 
four successive shots tell with appalling effect, since 
each of them laid low one of their assailants. At 
last an attack upon the doors was resolved upon, 
and soon the heavy blows of the ponderous axe 
resounded from the massive panels. One door gave 
way : there was a stunning crash, followed by re- 
ports of fire-arms, cries of agony, and the dull sound 
of falling victims. Again the numbers were success- 
ful, but in this instance the victims knew no mercy, 
and, when at last the tumult ceased, the mutilated 
corpses of the two brigands could hardly be recog- 
nized from three of their late assailants. 

The man who had been shot while descending 
from the window was found to be quite dead, the 
ball having entered his heart. The two survivors 
were subsequently identified as Ramon Gomez, and 
Pietro Vaga, better known as " the Hunchback," 
two of the most notorious highwaymen and bur- 
glars, for whose apprehension a large reward had 
been offered. 



"""""^ 



292 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MONTICELLO. 



J. V. Brown, Esq., Editor of the Lake Superior 
Journal, who was on board the Monticello, gives the 
following graphic account of the disaster : 

It becomes our painful duty to record the most 
perilous shipwreck that has ever occurred on Lake 
Superior, and having been a passenger on board the 
Monticello at the time, we are enabled to give all 
the particulars in relation to the loss of the vessel, 
and the hardships of the passengers and crew. We 
went on board the Ontonagon on the afternoon of 
the 22d September, 1851, on her return from Fond 
du Lac. She left the river at half-past five o'clock 
bound for the Sault, with about one hundred per- 
sons, twenty tons of copper from the Minnesota 
mine, and a few barrels of fish from La Pointe, and 
in coming out of the harbor one of the wheels struck 
a floating log very heavily, and it is supposed to 
have loosened the packing boxes around one of the 
shafts. — She lay on the bar a few minutes on her 
way out, but the sea at that time was light, and we 
cannot think it possible that she sprung a leak from 
the effects of the slight pounding on the light sand. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 295 

We had been out about half an hour, when the 
firemen discovered the water rising around the floors 
of the engine ; they communicated the fact to Capt. 
Wilson, and it was made known to the passengers, 
but the leak was not thought to be serious, and 
created but very little alarm. The pump was put 
into operation, and on examination the captain and 
engineer seemed confident that the pump would 
keep her clear till we could run down to Eagle 
harbor, a distance of sixty miles ; but it was soon 
discovered, that the water was fast gaining on the 
pump, and preparations were made immediately for 
raising water by means of barrels and buckets. 

The wind was blowing at first from the west- 
ward, but soon changed to the north-west — it was 
fresh but fair, and aided by sails and all the steam 
that it was prudent to carry, she came on at a rapid 
rate, still keeping on her course, in hopes to make 
the harbor. The passengers and crew worked 
steadily at the pumps, but the water continued 
gradually to gain on them. The most of the cop- 
per and all the other freight was thrown overboard 
with a hearty good will — the wealth of the mine 
seeming of but little consequence at such a time. 
Every possible means were employed to raise water, 
and every passenger assisted to the utmost of his 
strength and ability to keep the sinking vessel 



296 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



aQoat. Two pumps, three barrels, and a half dozen 
pails were constantly in motion, and still the water 
gained steadily, but surely, on their efforts. 

We had now been out about three hours, the 
wind and waves constantly increasing, when it was 
found, there was little hope of reaching Eagle har- 
bor ; the water had risen nearly to the fires, and 
was fast gaining ground, notwithstanding all the 
exertions of those on board. After remaining on 
her course a few minutes longer, the boat was head- 
ed toward the land, and new efforts were put forth 
to encourage all on board to assist at the pumps 
and barrels. By this time there was three feet of 
water or more in the hold, and she moved and rolled 
heavily through the seas, the wood having to be 
shifted from one side of the vessel to the other, to 
keep her in trim. 

One fire after the other was rolled into the water, 
and it became evident to the most hopeful that they 
would be extinguished entirely, and it was still 
thought, the wind would take her in under the land 
even if the steam should fail. It was not long 
before the fires were reported out — the engines 
worked lazily for a short time, the clicking of the 
valves became faint and less frequent, and finally, 
like the dying struggle of a strong man, it ceased 
altogether. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 297 

Wearied with incessant exertions at the pumps, 
many gave out and retired to the cabins, seeming 
to prefer rest to escape from the watery grave into 
which they were fast sinking. Some were even 
forced into the hold, to fill barrels and pails, and 
new efforts were put forth to induce the suffering 
crew and passengers to hold out an hour longer, with 
the assurance that we could reach land in that time. 
With this hope, and that influence which strong 
minds always exert under such circumstances, many 
.took hold again of the pumps with a kind of desper- 
ate exertion, and for a time they even gained on the 
water. There was another circumstance which en- 
couraged them to work. The boat being careened 
on one side by the sails, one of the fires was par- 
tially out of water, and a fire was kindled again by 
means of dry wood, oil, and the most combustible 
matter the boat afforded. This not only assisted 
our progress toward the land, but it stimulated the 
passengers to new exertions. 

The fires were in this way kindled and extin- 
guished several times, and all felt that they owed 
much to the irregular exertion of the engines for 
their preservation, especially as the wind for some 
time died away, so as to scarcely fill the sails. For 
two long hours the water-logged vessel drifted in, 

before soundings could be had. In this region it 
13* 



298 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

was well known, that the coast was rocky, and dan- 
gerous for landing, and the night was too dark to 
enable the pilot to distinguish one place from an- 
other. A heavy sea rolled in upon the shore, and 
it seemed like madness to attempt a landing under 
such circumstances. Accordingly, Captain Wilson 
decided to come to anchor, and endeavor to keep the 
vessel afloat till daylight ; and as soon as we came 
into six fathoms water the anchors were let go, and 
she swung round heavily in the furious waves, 
that threatened speedily to complete the work of 
destruction. 

Several insane attempts had been thwarted for 
cutting away the boats, which, had they succeeded, 
we doubt not, would have proved certain destruc- 
tion to nine-tenths of all on board ; for if the boats 
had not been swamped at once, they would undoubt- 
edly have been dashed to pieces on the rock-bound 
shore, leaving others to swim ashore as best they 
might. The pumping and bailing were continued 
with the last energies of a noble crew — two or 
three hours more would bring the light of another 
day, and it was understood that an attempt would 
be made to land as soon as it was daylight. 

The time wore tediously away, and the passengers 
and crew were too much exhausted to keep down 
the water, and still they labored to do so with what 



BY LAND AND SEA. 2tf0 

strength they had left. Some time before daylight 
the wind changed to the north ; and commenced 
blowing hard directly upon the shore, and the sea 
increased rapidly, oftentimes washing into the hatch- 
ways where the men were at work bailing, and it 
became evident to all, that the vessel could be kept 
■afloat only for a short time longer. 

At five o'clock it was light enough to see that it 
was a bold rocky shore, against which the w 7 aves 
dashed high and furiously, but it was too late to 
choose a place for landing, and the captain ordered 
the anchors raised. Her bow swung around to the 
east and in fifteen minutes she struck heavily on 
the solid rock, about three hundred yards from the 
shore. The men kept at work pumping and bailing 
till she struck, when the waves at, once swept in 
upon her deck and filled the hold. 

The largest of the two yawls happened to be on 
the lee side, and it was soon lowered away, and with 
a line long enough to reach the land, the first and 
second mates, Messrs. Lucas and Barney, W. T. 
Westbrook, and one of the crew, started for tho 
shore. The line was made fast to a tree, and they 
commenced the far more difficult and dangerous 
task of returning. The little boat seemed to be 
engulphed by every breaker that it met on its way, 
and none but strong and true hands could have 



/ 



300 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



saved the boat in this emergency, and no one una r 
customed to the dangers of the sea, can imagine 
the nerve necessary to manage a boat under such 
circumstances. 

The smaller boat, after much difficulty and delay, 
was got around under the lee and bailed out, but it 
swamped the first trip ashore, and was not used 
afterward. By constant, and untiring exertions, the 
passengers and crew were all landed at half-past 
eight o'clock, and after securing the shattered boats, 
as best they could, on the steep side of the rocky 
shore, they gathered around the fires, to look upon 
the miserable plight of one another. All were 
drenched with the water in coining ashore, cold and 
hungry, worn out by the fatigues of the night and 
morning, they lopped down around the fires, the 
sorriest looking gathering that it had ever been our 
misfortune to witness. 

All had been so anxious in seeing the passengers 
and crew landed safely, that they had not thought 
about providing for our future wants, and nothing in 
the shape of provisions or baggage had been brought 
ashore. After they had looked around them for a 
few moments, the boat was again manned and the 
wreck was again explored for provisions, and a few 
pounds of hard bread, part of a quarter of fresh beef 
and some boiled beef were brought in, which was as 



BY LAND AND SEA. 301 

one remarked, a "poor show" for a lunch for so 
many sharp appetites. After having eaten this 
mouthful we proposed to start with as lwury as pos- 
sible for Eagle river, which was judged to be 
about thirty-five miles distant, and a party of 
twenty-two in number set out. 

It was noon when we started, with our clothes 
still wet and heavy, and little or nothing to eat. 
We worked our way slowly through the cedar 
swamp, over logs and under logs, up ravines and 
down ravines, a crooked, trackless, toilsome way, till 
the middle of the afternoon, when we met two of 
our fellow passengers on their way back to the 
wreck. They had been on some distance further, 
but worn out with the hardships of their journey 
and hunger, they had turned back disheartened, and 
advised us to do the same. But we decided to go 
on, and on we went, through the worst cedar 
swamps in the world, till the thick woods began 
to grow dark with the shades of evening, and till a 
number of the party became completely exhausted 
with fatigue and hunger. We then concluded to 
encamp for the night, although we could not have 
traveled in all the afternoon over five miles, or about 
a mile an hour. 

Without an axe, a few sticks were collected, and 
two or three poor fires were kindled. All the bits 



302 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



of hard bread, and fresh beef, in all a scanty meal 
for one person's supper, was produced and rationed 
out to the twenty-two persons. Every one ate as 
sparingly as possible, and as we were without tents, 
we lay down on the cold ground in our wet clothes 
before the fire, and dozed and shivered with cold till 
daylight. As soon as we could see to travel, we 
proceeded on our toilsome way, and after walking 
about a mile we came to the trail that leads from 
Lake Superior to Portage Lake, and saw two or 
three Indians pushing out through the surf a bark 
canoe, which they soon jumped into and paddled 
away before the wind. We tried to induce them to 
return, in hopes to procure something from them to 
satisfy our craving hunger, but they scarcely deigned 
to look back. 

Some of our party had been from this trail to 
Eade river, and it w 7 as some consolation to meet 
with a land mark that was known. We now com- 
menced walking along the beach, which was com- 
posed of large pebbles, covered in many places with 
logs and trees that had washed or tumbled in from 
oiF the overhanging banks, making it as tiresome 
walking as can well be imagined. Frequently, in 
order to keep the beach, we were obliged to walk 
within reach of the clash of the waves, and were 
drenched with the cold flood. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 303 

About two miles east of the Portage trail, we 
discovered near the edge of the bank, which was 
some ten feet above the lake, the remains of a 
human being. The clothes of a man, in a good 
state of preservation, half covered the bleaching 
bones, the sad, sickening, unburied relics of some 
poor "shipwrecked brother," who had here ended 
his voyage " o'er life's stormy main." lie had evi- 
dently chosen this spot where he could die looking 
off upon the lake, from whence no succor came, and 
where he could be easily discovered by the passer 
by. A description was taken by one of our party 
of his clothes and the few articles found on them, 
and we learned on inquiring at Eagle river, that 
they were undoubtedly the remains of a Mr. Math- 
ews, who got lost from the Algonquin mine a few 
weeks previous. A brother of the deceased repaired 
to the spot as soon as possible and brought down 
the remains for burial at Eagle harbor. 

The morning had not far advanced when a num- 
ber of our party began to lag behind, exhausted 
from the effects of hunger and weakness, and it 
was evident that some would have to be left behind, 
while some of the others might possibly reach Eagle 
river that day and send assistance. We confidently 
expected to find some provisions in a warehouse 
at Gratiot river, twelve miles from Eagle river, 



MmM 



304 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



and all had hopes to reach there before night. 
A few of our party pushed forward as fast as possi- 
ble, to procure food and fires for those behind, but 
great was- our disappointment not to find a particle 
of provisions at that place. 

We kindled a fire, and rested for a few minutes, 
till a number of our party came up, the larger num- 
ber being still far behind. It now became more 
important than ever that some one should reach 
Eagle river, and seven of our number determined 
to make the trial. We had now twelve miles fur- 
ther to go, and in our miserable condition we traveled 
but slowly, but the trail grew better as we proceed- 
ed, and we came in sight of Eagle River about four 
o'clock in the afternoon, and under the circum- 
stances, a more pleasant, inviting village we do not 
recollect ever to have seen before. Four or five of 
our party came through the same evening, and a 
few others of another party came in the next day 
with similar hardships. 

On the Tuesday following, Capt. McKay with the 
schooner Algonquin, proceeded to the wreck, and 
brought off the captain, crew, and remaining pas- 
sengers, and all that could be saved of valuable 
property. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 305 



A JUNGLE RECOLLECTION. 

The hot season of 1849 was peculiarly oppressive, 
and the irksome garrison duty, at Cherootabad, in 
the south of India, had for many months been un- 
usually severe. The colonel of my regiment, the 
brigadier, and the general, having successively ac- 
ceded to my application for three weeks' leave, and 
that welcome fact having been duly notified in or- 
ders, it was not long before I found myself on the 
Coimbatore road, snugly packed, guns and all, in a 
country bullock cart, lying at full length on a mat- 
tress, with a thick layer of straw spread under it. 

All my preparations had been made beforehand ; 
relays of bullocks were posted for me at convenient 
intrevals, and I arrived at Goodaloor, a distance of 
a hundred and ten miles, in rather more than forty- 
eight hours. 

Goodaloor is a quiet little village, about eleven 
miles from Coimbatore; — but don't suppose I was 
going to spend my precious three weeks there. 

All loaded, and pony saddled, let us start : the 
two white cows and their calves; the mattress and 



HI 



306 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



blanket rolled up and carried on a Cooly's head 
Shikaree, horsekeeper, and a village man, with the 
three guns, while I, myself, bring up the rear. Over 
a few ploughed fields, and past that large banian 
tree, the jungle begins. 

In a small clump of low jungle, on the sloping 
bank of a broad, sandy watercourse, the casual pass- 
er-by would not have perceived a snug and tolera- 
bly strong little hut — the white ends of the small 
branches that were laid over it, and the mixture 
of foliage, alone revealing the fact to the observant 
eye of a practiced woodman. No praise could be 
too strong to bestow on the faithful Shikaree; had 
I chosen the spot myself, after a weeks' survey of 
the country, it could not have been more happily 
selected. 

To the deeply-rooted stump of a young tree on 
the opposite bank, one of the white cows had been 
made fast by a double cord passed twice around her 
horns. Nothing remains to be done : the little door 
is fastened behind me, the prickly acacia boughs are 
piled up against it on the outside, and my people 
are anxious to be off, 

The poor cow, too, listens with dismay to the 
retreating footsteps of the party, and has already 
made some furious plunges to free herself, and re- 
join the rest of the kine, who have been driven 



MM 



BY LAND AND SEA. 307 

off, nothing loth, toward home. Watch her: how 
intently she stares along the path by which the 
people have deserted her. Were it not for the 
occasional stamp of her fore leg, or the impatient 
side-toss of the head, to keep off the swarming 
flies, she might be carved out of marble. And 
now a fearful and anxious gaze up the bed of the 
nullah, and into the thick fringe of Mimoso, one 
ear pricked and the other back alternately, show 
that instinct has already whispered the warning of 
impending danger. Another plunge to get loose, 
and a searching gaze up the path ; sec her sides 
heave. Now comes what we want — that deep low! 
It echoes again among the hills: another and an- 
other. Poor wretch ! you are hastening your doom ; 
fir or near, the tiger hears you — under the rock 
or thicket, where he has lain since morning, shel- 
tered from the scorching sun, his ears flutter as 
if they were tickled every time he hears that mu- 
sic; his huge, green eyes, heretofore half closed, 
are now wide open, and, alas ! poor cow, gaze truly 
enough in thy direction; but he has not stirred yet. 
and nobody can say in what direction- giant death 
will yet stalk forth. 

The moon is up — all nature still; the cow, again 
on her legs, is restless, and evidently frightened. 
Oh ! reader, even if you have the soul of a Shikaree, 



HUM 



308 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



I despair of being able to convey in words a tithe 
of the sensations of that solitary vigil : a night 
like that is to be enjoyed but seldom — a red-letter 
day in one's existence. 

Where is the man who has never experienced the 
poetic influence of a moon-light scene ! Fancy, then, 
such a one as here described ; a crescent of low 
hills — craggy, steep, and thickly wooded — around 
you, on three sides, and above them, again, at 
twenty miles' distance, the clear blue outline of the 
Neilgherry hills ; in your front, the silver sand bed 
of the dry watercourse divides the thick and som- 
ber jungle with a stream of light, till you lose it in 
the deep shadows at the foot of the hills — all quiet, 
all still, all bathed in the light of the moon, 3-ourself 
the only man for miles to come, a solitary watcher — 
your only companion the poor cow, who, full of fears, 
and suspicious at every leaf-fill, reminds you that a 
terrible struggle is about to take place within a few 
feet of your bed, and that there will be noise and 
confusion, when you must be cool and collected. 
Your little kennel would not be strong enough to 
resist a determined charge, and you are alone, if 
three good guns are not true friends. 

Oh ! that I could express sounds on paper as 
music is written in notes. No, reader, you must 
do as I have done — you must be placed in a similar 



BY LAND AND SEA. 309 

situation, to hear and enjoy the terrible roar of a 
hungry tiger — not from afar off, and listened for, 
but close at hand, and unexpected. It was like 
an electric shock ; — a moment ago I was dozing 
off, and the cow, long since laid down, appeared 
asleep; that one roar had not died away among 
the hills when she had scrambled on her legs, and 
stood with elevated head, stiffened limbs, tail raised, 
and breath suspended, staring, full of terror, in the 
direction of the sound. As for the biped ? with less 
noise, and even more alacrity, he had grasped his 
" Sam Nock," whose polished barrels just rested on 
the lower ledge of the little peep-hole ; perhaps his 
eyes were as round as saucers, and heart beating 
fast and strong. 

Now for the struggle; — pray heaven that I am 
cool and calm, and do not fire in a hurry, for one 
shot will either lose or secure my well-earned prize. 

There he is again ! evidently in that rugged, 
stony watercourse, which runs parallel, and about 
two hundred yards behind the hut. But what is 
that? Yes, lightning : two flashes in quick succes- 
sion, and a cold stream of air is rustling through the 
half-withered leaves of my ambush. Taking a look 
to the rear, through an accidental opening among 
the leaves, it was plain that a storm, or, as it would 
be called at sea, a squall, was brewing. An arch of 



U^4 



310 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



black cloud was approaching from the westward, 
and, the rain descending, gave it the appearance 
of a huge black comb, the teeth reaching to the 
earth. The moon, half obscured, showed a white 
mist as far as the rain had reached. Then was 
heard in the puffs of air, the hissing of the distant 
but approaching down-pour: more" lightning — then 
some large heavy drops plashed on the roof, and it 
was raining cats and dogs. 

How the scene was changed ! Half an hour ago, 
solemn, and still, and wild, as nature rested, unpol- 
luted, undefaced, unmarked by man — sleeping in the 
light of the moon, all was tranquillity; the civilized 
man lost his idiosyncrasy in its contemplation — for- 
got nation, pursuits, creed — he felt that he was 
Nature's child, and adored the God of Nature. 

But the beautiful was now exchanged for the 
sublime, when that scene appeared lit up suddenly 
and awfully by lightning, which now momentarily 
exchanged a sheet of intensely dazzling blue light, 
with a darkness horrible to endure — a light which 
showed the many streams of water, which now ap- 
peared like ribbons over the smooth slabs of rod; 
that lay on the slope of the hills, and gave a micrj- 
scopic accuracy of outline to every object, exchanged 
as suddenly for a darkness, which for the moment 
might be supposed the darkness of extinction — of 






, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 311 

utter annihilation — while the crash of thunder over 
head rolled over the echoes of the hills, " I am the 
Lord thy God." 

The storm was at length over, the nullah run 
dry again. Damp and sleepy, with arms folded, 
and eyes sometimes open, but often shut, I kept 
an indifferent watch, when the cow, struggling on 
her legs, and a groan, brought me to my senses. 
There they were. It was no dream. A large tiger, 
holding her just behind the ears, shaking her like 
a fighting dog. By the doubtful light of the wa- 
tery moon, did I calmly and noiselessly run out the 
muzzle of my rifle. 

I saw him, without quitting his grip of the cow's 
neck, leap over her back more than once. She sank 
to the earth, and he lifted her up again. At the first 
opportunity, I pulled trigger. The left hand missed, 
I tried the right — it went off — bang ! 

Whether a hanging fire is an excuse or not, the 
tiger relinquished his hold and was off with a 
bound. The cow staggered and struggled, and, in 
a few seconds, fell, and, with a heavy groan, ceased 
to move. The tiger had killed the cow within a 
few feet of me, and escaped scathless. 

Night after night did I watch for his return. I 
had almost despaired of seeing him again, when, 
one night, about eleven o'clock, my ears caught the 



312 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 






echo among the rocks, and then the distant roar — 
nearer — nearer — nearer ; and — oh, joy ! — an- 
swered. Tiger and tigress ! — above all hope ! — 
corning to recompense me for hundreds of night 
watchings — to balance a long account of weary 
nights in the silent jungle, in platforms on trees, 
in huts of leaf and bramble, and in damp pits on 
the water's edge — all bootless; coming — coming—- 
nearer and nearer. 

Music nor words, dear reader, can stand me in 
any stead to convey the sound to you; the first 
note like the trumpet of a peacock, and the rest the 
deepest toned thunder. Stones and gravel rattled 
just behind the hut on the path by which we came 
and went, and a heavy step passed and descended 
the slope into the nullah. I heard the sand crunch- 
ing under his weight before I dared to look. A lit- 
tle peep. Oh, heavens ! looming in the moonlight, 
there he stood, long, sleek as satin, and lashing his 
tail — he stood stationary, smelling the slaughtered 
cow. No longer the cautious, creeping tiger, I felt 
how awful a brute he was to offend. I remembered 
how he had worried a strong cow in half a minute, 
and that, with his weight alone, my poor rickety 
little citadel would fall to pieces. As if the ex- 
citement of the moment was insufficient, the mon- 
ster, gazing down the dry watercourse, caught sight 



BY LAND AND SEA. 313 

of his companion, who, advancing up the bed of the 
nullah, stood irresolutely about twenty yards off. 
The bully, who was evidently the male, after smell- 
ing at the head, came round the carcass, making a 
sort of complaisant purring — "humming a kind of 
animal song," and to it he went tooth and nail. 

As he stood with his two fore feet on the haunch, 
while he tugged and tore out a beef-steak, I once 
more grasped old " Sam Nock," and ran the muzzle 
out of the little port. The white linen band marked 
a line behind his shoulders, and rather low, but, from 
the continued motion of his body, it was some mo- 
ments before eye and finger agreed to pull trigger — 
bang ! A shower of sand rattled on the dry leaves, 
and a roar of rage and pain satisfied me, even before 
the white smoke, which hung in the still air, had 
cleared away, to show the huge monster writhing 
and plunging where he had fallen. Either directed 
by the fire, or by some slight noise made in the 
agitation of the moment, he saw me, and, with a 
hideous yell, scrambled up : the roaring thunder of 
his voice filled the valley, and the echoes among 
the hills answered it, with the hootings of tribes of 
monkeys, who, scared out of sleep, sought the high- 
est branches, at the sound of the well-known voice 
of the tyrant of the jungle. I immediately per- 
ceived, to my great joy, that his hind quarters were 



314 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



paralyzed and useless, and that all danger was out 
of the question. He sank down again on his elbows, 
and as he rested his now powerless limbs, I saw the 
blood welling out of a wound in the loins, as it 
shone in the moonlight, and trickled off his sleek- 
painted hide, like globules of quicksilver. As I 
looked into his countenance, I saw all the devil 
alive there. The will remained — the power only 
had gone. It was a sight never to be forgotten. 
With head raised to the full stretch of his neck, 
he glared at me with an expression of such malig- 
nity, that it almost made one quail. I thought of 
the native superstition of singeing off the whiskers 
of the newly killed tiger to lay his spirit, and no 
longer wondered at it. With ears back, and mouth 
bleeding, he growled and roared in fitful uncertainty, 
as if he were trying, but unable, to measure the 
extent of the force that had laid him low. 

Motionless myself, provocation ceased, and with- 
out further attempt to get on his legs, he continued 
to gaze on me ; when I slowly lowered my head to 
the sight, and again pulled trigger. This time, true 
to the mark, the ball entered just above the breast- 
bone, and the smoke cleared off with his death- 
groan. There he lay, foot to foot with his victim 
of last night, motionless — dead. My first impulse 
was to tear down the door behind, and get a 



\ 




BY LAND AND SEA. 3l7 

thorough view of his proportions ; but remembering 
that his companion, the tigress, had vanished only 
a short time ago close to the scene of action, I 
thought it as well to remain where I was ; so, en- 
larging the windows with my hands, I took a long 
look, and then jovially attacked the coffee without 
reference to noise, and fell back on the mattress to 
sleep, or to think the night's work over. "At last, 
I have got him : his skin will be pegged out to- 
morrow, drying before the tent door." When my 
people came in the morning, they found me seated 
on the dead tiger. Coolies were sent for to carry 
the beast, and I gave the pony his reins all the 
way back to the tent. 

Fuaseu's Magazine. 



ATTACK OF BOONSBOROUGH. 

On the tenth of March, 1778, Daniel Boone, 
having been taken prisoner by the Indians, was 
conducted to Detroit, when Governor Hamilton 
himself offered one hundred pounds sterling, for his 
ransom ; but so great was the affection of the Indians 
for their prisoner, that it was positively refused. 
Boone's anxiety on account of his wife and children 
was incessant, and the more intolerable as he dared 



318 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



not excite the suspicions of his captors by any indi- 
cation of a wish to return home. 

The Indians were now preparing for a violent 
attack upon the settlements in Kentucky. Early 
in June, four hundred and fifty of the choicest war- 
riors were ready to march against Boonesborough, 
painted and armed in a fearful manner. Alarmed at 
these preparations, he determined to make his escape. 
He hunted and shot with the Indians as usual, until 
the morning of the sixteenth of June, when, taking 
an early start, he left Chillicothe and directed his 
steps to Boonesborough. The distance exceeded 
one hundred and sixty miles, but he performed it in 
four days, during which he eat only one meal. He 
appeared before the garrison like one risen from the 
dead. He found the fortress in a bad state, and lost 
no time in rendering it more capable of defence. 
He repaired the flanks, gates, and posterns, formed 
double bastions, and completed the whole in ten days. 

On the eighth of August, the enemy appeared. 
The attack upon the fort was instantly commenc- 
ed ; and the siege lasted nine days, during which, 
an almost incessant firing was kept up. On the 
twentieth of August, the enemy retired with a loss 
of thirty-seven killed and a great many wounded. 
This affair was highly creditable to the spirit and 
skill of the pioneers. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 319 



THRILLING INCIDENTS OF BATTLE. 

There is a man now living in East Dixfielcl, Ox- 
ford county, Me., who actually caught in his mouth 
a ball discharged from a musket. He was at the 
battle of Bridgewater, in the war of 1812, and, 
while biting off the end of a cartridge, for the pur- 
pose of loading his gun, was struck by a ball, which 
entered on the left side of his face, knocking out 
eight of his teeth, cut off the end of his tongue, 
and passed into his throat. He raised it, went to 
the hospital, staid out the remainder of his enlist- 
ment, and returned home with the bullet in his 
pocket. 

The New Orleans Picayune, one of whose editors 
was an eye-witness of the most of the leading bat- 
tles in Mexico, copies the foregoing paragraph, and 
appends to it the following relation : 

We can relate an incident even more strange 
than this. At the siege of Monterey, in 1846, 
and, while General Worth's troops were advancing 
to storm the small fort, known as La Soldada, a 



320 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

man, named Waters, an excellent soldier, belonging 
to Ben McCulloch's Rangers, caught a large grape- 
shot directly in his mouth. It was fully the size 
of a hen's egg, was rough, uneven in shape, and, 
in its course, completely carried out the four upper 
teeth of the ranger, and part of the jaw, cut off the 
four lower teeth, as with a chisel, split his tongue 
in twain, carried away his palate, went through the 
back of his head, and, striking a tendon, glanced 
down, and lodged under the skin on the shoulder- 
blade, where it was extracted by a surgeon, and 
safely placed in the pocket of Waters for future 
reference. 

No man thought the wounded ranger could live, 
he could swallow neither food nor water. We saw 
him two nights afterward, in a room in the Bishop's 
Palace, which had been converted into a hospital, 
sitting bolt upright among the wounded and the 
dying — for the nature of his terrible hurt was such 
that he could not lie down without suffocating. His 
face was swollen to more than twice its ordinary 
size — he was speechless of course — his wants were 
only made known by means of a broken slate and 
pencil, and he was slowly applying a wet sponge to 
his mouth, endeavoring to extract moisture, which 
might quench the fever and intolerable thirst under 
which he was suffering. By his side lay young 



BY LAND AND SEA. 321 

Thomas, of Maryland, a member of the same com- 
pany, who was mortally wounded the morning after, 
and who was now dying. Wounded men, struck that 
afternoon in Worth's advance upon the Grand Plaza, 
were constantly being brought in, the surgeons were 
amputating and dressing the hurts of the crippled 
soldiers by a pale and sickly candle-light, and the 
groans of those in grievous pain added a new hor- 
ror to the scene, which was at best frightful. We 
recollect, perfectly well, a poor fellow struck in both 
legs by a grape-shot, while advancing up one of the 
streets. He was begging lustily, after one of his 
limbs had been amputated, that the other might be 
spared him, on which to hobble through the world. 
Poor Thomas, as gallant a spirit as ever lived, finally 
breathed his last ; we brought Waters a fresh cup 
of water with which to moisten his wounds, and 
then left the room to catch an hour's sleep ; but 
the recollections of that terrible night will not soon 
be effaced from my memory. 

The above incident occurred on the night of 
the 23d and morning of the 24th of September, 
1846. During the early part of the month of 
February following, while passing into the old St. 
Charles, in this city, we were accosted with a 
strange voice by a fine-looking man, who seemed 

extremely glad to see us, although he had a most 
14* 



322 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



singular and unaccountable mode of expressing him- 
self. We recollected the eye as one we had been 
familiar with, but the- lower features of the face, 
although in no way disfigured, for the life of us, 
we could not make out. 

"Why, do n't you know me?" in a mumbling, 
half-indistinct, and forced manner, said the man, 
still shaking our hand vigorously. " I 'm Waters." 

And Waters it was, in reality, looking as well and 
as healthy as ever, without showing the least out- 
ward sign that he had ever caught a grape-shot 
in his mouth. A luxuriant growth of mustaches 
completely covered his upper lip, and concealed any 
scar the iron missile might have made ; an imperial 
on his under lip hid any appearance of a wound at 
that point ; and, with the exception of his speech, 
there was nothing to show that he had ever re- 
ceived the slightest injury about the face. His 
tongue, which was terribly shattered, was still par- 
tially benumbed, rendering articulation both difficult 
and tiresome ; but he assured us he was every day 
gaining more and more the use of it, and, in his 
own words, he was soon to be "just as good as 
new." 

It is needless to say that we were glad to see 
him — to meet one we had never expected to en- 
counter again in such excellent plight. Any one 



BY LAND AND SEA. 323 

who could have seen him sitting in that apartment 
of the Bishop's Palace, his face swollen, and, with 
a gravity of countenance, which would have been lu- 
dicrous, even to the causing of laughter, had it not 
been for his own precarious situation, and the heart- 
rending scenes around, would have been equally as 
much astonished and rejoiced, as we were, on again 
so unexpectedly beholding him. 

A correspondent of the " Inquirer " has sent us 
the following, which is quite as remarkable as either 
of the foregoing : 

Very extraordinary incidents have been published 
lately, of shot having been caught in the mouths of 
soldiers, in the course of battle, in the war of 1812, 
and in the Mexican war ; but an incident, perhaps 
more remarkable, for the coolness of the individual 
on the occasion, occurred at the battle of Fort Dranc, 
fought, in August, 1837, under the command of tho 
late Col. B. K. Pierce. This was one of the most 
signal and desperate engagements of that bloody 
war. The Seminoles, under their renowned chief, 
Osceola, had taken a very commanding position in 
an extensive sugar field, near the stockade, strength- 
ened on the east side by a dense hammock. Three 
desperate onsets were made during the battle, and 
the enemy were finally driven from the field to the 
protection of the hammock. During the hottest of 






324: 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



the battle, a soldier belonging to the detachment 
under the command of Lieut. Pickell, whose posi- 
tion was a little in advance of the two wings, of the 
name of Jackson, having just fired, received a shot 
from a tall Indian, not twenty yards distant, which 
broke through the outer parts of his pantaloons, and 
lodged in his right-hand pocket. Feeling the slight 
sting of the half-spent ball, he thrust his hand in 
his pocket, drew out the bullet, and dropped it into 
the barrel of his musket, upon the charge of pow- 
der he had just before put in ; then, with the un- 
erring aim of a true marksman, leveled his piece, 
and, as quick as lightning, his adversary was meas- 
ured upon the ground. The wound was fatal — the 
warrior survived the shot but a few minutes. 

The above is one of the many incidents that oc- 
curred in the recent war with the Florida Indians, 
which, for peril and brave feats, on the part of the 
American soldiers and officers, has scarcely ever 
been equaled. The above incident is stated as it 
actually occurred. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 325 



A FAMILY ATTACKED BY INDIANS. 

On the night. of the eleventh of April, 1787, the 
house of a widow in Bourbon county, Kentucky, 
became the scene of a deplorable adventure. She 
occupied what was called a double cabin, in a lonely 
part of the county. One room was tenanted by the 
old lady herself, together with two grown sons, and 
a widowed daughter with an infant. The other 
room was occupied by two unmarried daughters 
from sixteen to twenty years of age, together with 
a little girl. 

The hour was eleven o'clock at night, and the 
family had retired to rest. Some symptoms of an 
alarming nature had engaged the attention of the 
young man for an hour, before anything of a decided 
character took place. At length hasty steps were 
heard in the yard, and quickly afterward several 
loud knocks at the door, accompanied by the usual 
exclamation, "Who keeps house?" in very good 
English.. 

The young man, supposing from the language that 
some benighted travelers were at the door, hastily 
arose, and was advancing to withdraw the bar that 



326 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 



secured it, when his mother, who had long lived 
upon the frontier, and had probably detected the 
Indian tone in the demand for admission, instantly 
sprang out of bed, and ordered her son not to admit 
them, declaring that they were Indians. 

She instantly awakened her other son, and the 
young men seizing their guns, which were always 
charged, prepared to repel the enemy. The Indians 
finding it impossible to enter under their assumed 
characters, began to thunder at the door with great 
violence, but a single shot from a loop-hole obliged 
them to shift the attack to some less exposed point, 
and, unfortunately, they discovered the door of the 
other cabin, which contained the three daughters. 
The rifles of the brothers could not be brought to 
bear on this point; and, by means of several rails 
taken from the yard fence, the door was forced from 
its hinges, and the girls were at the mercy of the 
savages. One was instantly secured, but the eldest 
defended herself desperately with a knife she had 
been using at the loom, and stabbed one of the 
Indians to the heart, before she was tomahawked. 

In the meantime, the little girl, who had been 
overlooked by the enemy in their eagerness to secure 
the others, ran out into the yard, and might have 
effected her escape, had she taken advantage of the 
darkness, and fled ; but instead of looking to her 



BY LAND AND SEA. 329 

own safety, the terrified little creature ran round 
the house, wringing her hands, and crying that her 
sisters were killed. 

Just then the child uttered a loud scream, followed 
by a few faint moans, and all was silent. Presently 
the crackling of flames was heard, accompanied by 
a triumphant yell from the Indians, announcing 
that they had set fire to that division of the house, 
which had been occupied by the daughters, and of 
which they held undisputed possession. 

The fire was quickly communicated to the rest of 
the building, and it became necessary to abandon it 
or perish in the flames. The door was thrown open, 
and the old lady, supported by her eldest son, at- 
tempted to cross the fence at one point, while her 
daughter carrying her child in her arms, and attend- 
ed by the younger of the brothers, ran in a different 
direction. The blazing roof shed a light over the 
yard but little inferior to that of day, and the sav- 
ages were distinctly seen awaiting the approach of 
their victims. The old lady was permitted to reach 
the stile unmolested, but in the act of crossing, 
received several balls in her breast, and fell dead. 
Her son, providentially, remained unhurt, and, by 
extraordinary agility, effected his escape. 

The other party succeeded in reaching the fence 
unhurt, but in the act of crossing were vigorously 



330 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 









assailed by several Indians, who, throwing down 
their guns, rushed upon them with their tomahawks. 
The young man defended his sister gallantly, firing 
upon the enemy as they approached, and then wield- 
ing the butt of his rifle with a fury that drew their 
whole attention upon himself, and gave his sister an 
opportunity of effecting her escape. He quickly fell 
however under the tomahawks of his enemies, and 
was found at daylight, scalped and mangled in a 
shocking manner. Of the whole family, consisting 
of eight persons, only three escaped. Four were 
killed upon the spot, and one, the second daughter, 
carried off as a prisoner. 

The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and, by 
daylight, about thirty men were assembled, under 
the command of Colonel Edwards. A light snow 
had fallen during the latter part of the night, and 
the Indian trail could be followed at a gallop. It led 
directly into the mountainous country bordering on 
the Licking, and afforded evidences of great hurry 
and precipitation on the part of the fugitives. Un- 
fortunately, a hound had been permitted to follow 
the whites, and as the trail became fresh, and the 
scent warm, she followed it with eagerness, baying 
loudly and giving the alarm to the Indians. The 
consequences of this imprudence were soon manifest. 
The enemy finding the pursuit keen, and perceiving 



BY LAND AND SEA. 331 

the strength of their prisoner began to fail, instantly 
sunk their tomahawks in her head, and left her still 
warm and bleeding upon the snow. 

As the whites came up, she regained strength 
enough to w r ave her hand in token of recognition, 
and appeared desirous of giving them some infor- 
mation, with regard to the enemy, but her strength 
was too far gone. Her brother sprang from his 
horse and endeavored to stop the effusion of blood, 
but in vain. She gave him her hand, muttered 
some inarticulate words, and expired. 



THRILLING INCIDENT. 

In mid-winter about four years since, says Miss 
Martineau, in her Norway and the Norwegians, a 
young man named Hund, was sent by his master on 
an errand about twenty miles, to carry provisions to 
a village in the upper country. The village people 
asked him for charity, to carry three orphan children 
on his sledge a few miles on his way to Bergen, and 
to leave them at a house on the road, when they 
would be taken care of until they could be brought 
from Bergen. He took the little things, and saw 



332 



THRILLING ADVENTURES 









that the two elder were well wrapped up from the 
cold. The third he took within his arms and on his 
knee, as he drove, clasping it warm against his 
breast — so those say who saw them set off, and it 
is confirmed by one who met the sledge on the road, 
and heard the children prattling to Hund, and Hnnd 
laughing merrily at their little talk. Before they 
got half way, however, a pack of hungry w r olves, 
burst out upon them from a hollow in the thicket to 
the right of the wood. The beasts followed close 
to the back of the sledge. Closer and closer the 
wolves pressed. Hund saw one about to spring at 
his throat. It was impossible for the horse to go 
faster than he did, for he went like the wind — so 
did the wolves. Hund in desperation, snatched up 
one of the children behind him, and threw it over 
the back of the sledge. This stopped the pack a 
little. On galloped the horse. But the wolves 
were soon crowded around again, with the blood 
freezing to their muzzles. It was easier to throw 
over the second child than the first — and Hund 
did it. But on came again the infuriated beasts — 
gaunt with hunger, and raging like fiends for the 
prey. It was harder to give up the third — the 
dumb infant that nestled in his breast, but Hund 
was in mortal terror. Again the hot breath of the 
wolves was upon him. He threw away the infant 



BY LAND AND SEA. 335 

and saved himself. Away over the snow ilew the 
sledge, the village was reached, and Hund jnst es- 
caped after all the sacrifice he had made. Bat 
he was unsettled and wild, and his talk, for some 
time whenever he did speak, night or day, was of 
wolves — so fearful had been the effect upon bis 
imagination. 



ADVENTURES 

OF REV. DR. BACON AND HIS PARTY, AMONG THE MOUN- 
TAINS OF PERSIA. 

Dr. Bacon and Rev. Mr. Marsh, attempted to cross 
from the city of Mosul, on the Tigris, to Oroomiah, 
the residence of the Nestorian Christians. On their 
passage through the Kurdish mountains, they were 
robbed, and narrowly escaped being murdered, and 
were finally forced to return to Mosul. 

Dr. Bacon, after describing their departure from 
Diarbekr, says : 

" I defer to another time the description of our 
romantic and . picturesque passage down the Tigris. 
By the care of Providence, our whole party com- 
pleted this stage, as they had completed the previous 
and more fatiguing ones, in safety and comfortable 



336 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

health. We arrived in Mosul on the 16th of May, 
in seven days from Diarbekr, and immediately set 
about making preparations for continuing our journey 
into the mountains. 

" The engaging of mules, the hiring of servants, 
and the preparation of provisions, detained us in 
Mosul until Wednesday, the 21st of May. The 
meantime was spent by us in visiting the excava- 
tions on the opposite side of the river. In the 
mound of Koyunjik, we followed our guide through 
a labyrinth of narrow corridors, lighted dimly by 
occasional openings in the firm clay overhead. Some 
of the sculptures were described in Mr. Leyard's 
.volumes; others have been since unearthed, and 
some most interesting galleries had just been left by 
the picks of the workmen. Time, at present, does 
not permit me to describe them ; but I may mention 
as among the most interesting of the recent discov- 
eries, a succession of slabs carved with a represen- 
tation of the original transportation of the great 
winged bulls which adorned the stately entrances 
of the palaces of Ninus and Sardanapalus. A col- 
lection of small, inscribed stones, has also been 
found, supposed to contain public records; and, but 
a day or two ago, the workmen brought in the 
report of new and still grander sculptures just 
discovered. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 337 

"We had expected to start on Wednesday at 
sunrise; but various petty hindrances detained us 
until late in the afternoon. We then united in 
prayer with the family in whose cares, anxieties, 
and dangers w T e had shared through so many weary 
weeks, and hastened to our saddles. Passing the 
Tigris by a rude ferry, Ave rode in the setting sun- 
light by the once mysterious mounds of Koyunjik. 
The reapers who were still busy within the grassy 
walls of fallen Nirievah, came up to us as we passed, 
with their sickles on their heads, to present the 
offering of the first fruits of harvest. We hurried 
on, however, and stopped for the night at a small 
village little more than an hour from the gate of 
Mosul." 

On the third day they reached the town of 
Akkre, among the mountains, where they were 
obliged to stay three days, waiting for the Kurdish 
muleteers. They performed the Sabbath service in 
a cavern of the mountain which the native chris- 
tians had fitted up as a secret chapel. Leaving 
Akkre on Monday morning, the 26th of May, they 
entered the most dangerous part of the mountains. 
Mr. B. says : 

u We spent this day's nooning by a spring that 

bursts out near the top of a steep mountain, and ate 

our dinner under a tree that distilled upon the rocks 
15 



338 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

a fragrant gum. Mounting again at two o'clock, in 
half an hour we reached the summit, whence we 
looked down a giddy descent upon the swift but 
winding Zab. Here it became necessary to leave 
our animals, and work our way down the almost 
precipitous road, while the mules slid, scrambled, 
and tumbled after us as best they might. As I was 
pushing on a little in advance of the party, I was 
met, in a narrow turn of the path, by an old bearded 
man, with a dagger in his girdle, who reached out 
his hand toward me. I was uncertain at first how 
to understand it; but his only object was to press 
my hand to his lips with a fervent 'sal am aleiJcnmJ 
(Peace be with you,) to which I responded, accord- 
ing to usual form, 'aldhim salam,' (with you be 
peace.) Meeting with others of his party, they 
asked us if we were Nesrani, (Nazarenes — Chris- 
tians,) and saluted us with the same respect, going 
some distance back on their path with us to show 
us a cool water spring. 'They then went their 
ways, and we saw them no more ; ' but I shall not 
easily forget the satisfaction which they showed in 
recosraizino; us as fellow believers here in the land 
of the infidel, and the kindness with which they 
went out of their way to offer us a 'cup of cold 
water in the name of a disciple.' " 

That night they spent on the banks of the river 



BY LAND AND SEA. Oo'J 

Zab. The next clay, after traversing a wild pass, 
hemmed in by perpendicular rocks, more than a 
thousand feet in hight, they reached the village of 
Bizch, in a valley of the mountains, and secured a 
house-top for the night : 

"About the middle of the night, Mr. Marsh was 
waked by a slight noise, and, lifting his head, saw 
a party of five or six armed men creeping stealthily 
toward our roof, which, on the side toward the hill 
on which they were, was only four or five feet from 
the ground. The foremost man stopped short for a 
moment at Mr. Marsh's movement, and turning to 
his followers, called out ' Khawaja ! ' (the gentle- 
men ! ) Then seeing that our old guard was asleep 
at the stepping stone, he climbed upon the roof at 
another corner, and stood for a moment with his 
long gun at his side. Mr. Marsh raised himself 
upon his arm, and demanded in Arabic, 'What do 
you want ? ' The man probably did not understand 
the language : at any rate, he made no answer, but 
turned to the old man, and conversed earnestly with 
him in a low tone. The other men gathered near 
them, as if to listen and take part. But they all 
finally went away without doing any mischief." 

The next morning the sentinel who had kept 
watch over their baggage attempted to dissuade 
them from going the direct road, as the people of 



340 THRILLING ADVENTUIIES 

the next village had heard of their coming, and 
were determined to kill "them. However, they kept 
on ; and, in the course of two or three hours, their 
guide was stopped by a company of six armed men : 

" The place was admirably chosen for the purpose. 
The narrow path along the cliff by which we had 
come, here widened into a little platform, large 
enough for our mules to stand upon together. In 
front of us, a ledge of broken rocks jutted from the 
mountain and ran down, crossing our path, and 
leaving only a very small passage. In front of this 
path stood our challengers. Six worse-looking men, 
whether in form, dress, or feature, it would be diffi- 
cult to imagine. Each man wore around his high, 
conical felt hat, a turban of handkerchiefs of every 
hue and texture ; in his hand a long gun with 
short and narrow breech ; and in his belt the uni- 
versal Kurdish curved and two-edged dagger. The 
leader of the gang was a man of middle age, with 
black eyes and a grisly, untrimmed beard, and with 
half his front teeth knocked out." 

After some discussion, the robbers consented to 
allow them to pass, on the payment of fifty piastres, 
(two dollars and a half,) which they agreed to do, 
provided they were conducted to the house of the 
Agha. The robbers objected to this, and, provoked 
by the delay, leveled their guns at the party. At this 



BY LAND AND SEA. 34] 

juncture, the chief muleteer advanced the necessary 
money, and they were spared. 

" These transactions, from the time we were 
stopped, occupied about an hour. We now passed 
with our ragged regiment straggling around us, now 
with their long guns under our ears, and now cut- 
ting off the long bends of our crooked and little 
used path. In about ten minutes from the pass, we 
were hailed by another party, posted upon a hill- 
side, and a discussion of many minutes ensued 
between them and our escort, in which our Kurdish 
muleteers took an active part. The result was, that, 
we moved on with an addition of two men to our 
guard. We soon began to perceive that we were 
going toward the Agha rather as prisoners than as 
guests. The castle, (if it may be dignified by the 
name,) which was now in sight, was of no promis- 
ing appearance. It was a rude, rectangular building, 
with a small white tower at one corner, on which 
the workmen were still engaged. It was situated 
on the side of a hill which formed the head of a 
valley opening into the ravine we had just left. 
The small windows and the roof were crowded with 
men, women, and children, gazing at our singular 
cavalcade. As we drew near, some women who were 
bathing in a brook, rose, and gazed at us with irrepres- 
sible curiosity. We stopped at the door of the castle. 



342 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

" Here the assault began. The men of our guard 
flew like savage dogs at our servants : Khuclhr and 
Ablahad seized the arms which were girded about 
them, slashing furiously with their daggers, to cat 
the straps of their guns and pistols. The turbans 
were torn from their heads, and appropriated among 
the rabble. Similar violence was about to be shown 
us, when these operations were suddenly interrupted 
by the appearance, from the castle, of Melul Agha. 

" lie was a man taller by several inches than any 
of his tribe, and with an expression of face which 
was that of one accustomed to be obeyed. He was 
dressed in a more elegant style than could have 
been expected in these mountains ; wearing upon 
his head a turban of gray silk, and a long rifle slung 
from his shoulders. With a melo-dramatic wave of 
his hand, which was at once obeyed, he motioned 
his noisy tribe to desist, and, approaching us, point- 
ed out a tree, a few hundred feet up the hill, to 
which we might retire. As we moved alone toward 
this spot, a grim suspicion of his intentions crossed 
our minds. Might it not be for convenience in dis- 
patching us, that we had been removed ? We 
seated ourselves quietly in the shade, and watched 
the proceedings. The property of the muleteers 
and donkey-drivers had been unloaded and placed 
by itself. One of our loads had been thrown from 



BY LAND AND SEA. 343 

the mule, and the other was now brought near us, 
taken from the animal, and laid under a neighboring 
tree. Mr. Marsh now went down toward the castle 
to assist Khudhr in bringing the rest of our property 
toward the tree. This done, Khudhr returned to 
the crowd to learn what he could of their inten- 
tions. He soon came back to us in evident terror, 
and said, with a significant motion of his hand, that 
they were intending to kill us." 

After sending the servant a second time, he came 
back with the announcement that the Agha would 
examine their baggage, take what he pleased, and 
send them on to another Agha ; but would not allow 
them to return to Mosul. 

This examination was soon made, and the party 
was plundered of one thousand piasters, (forty-four 
dollars,) besides razors, knives, and a quantity of 
clothing. 

" The whole affair was conducted with a politeness 
of manner which was highly creditable to the Agha, 
nnd calculated to put us very much at our ease. 
He showed himself, in every thing, 

"As mild a mannered man 



As ever scuttled ship, or cut a throat." 

For instance, in searching our trunk, his eye was 
caught by a small, sealed parcel, which I supposed 



344 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

to contain jewelry; I immediately told him, through 
a servant, that it was not mine, but had been 
given to me, in America, to be delivered in Europe. 
He immediately put it down, and proceeded with 
the search. 

"During these operations, several women, some 
from curiosity, others from pity, had gathered around 
us. Among the latter class, was one, who, from her 
dress, beaut}', and demeanor, could be no other than 
the wife of the Agha. She was dressed in a faded, 
but once magnificent robe, and trowsers of silk, and 
wore upon her head a massive and elaborately-carved 
ornament of silver. She moved among the fierce 
and blood-thirsty savages, with an air of mingled 
scorn and anxiety, reproaching them with the shame 
of the transaction, and pleading earnestly that our 
lives and property be spared. She warned them, 
also, that our injuries would inevitably be visited 
upon their heads. 

" Having finished his search, the Agha, with the 
old men of the tribe, gathered on a ledge of rocks, 
just behind us, and consulted long and earnestly. 
We sat down and dined with what appetite we 
could muster." 

After the robbers had come to their decision, a 
second search of the baggage took place, which Mr 
Bacon thus describes : 



BY LAND AND SEA. 545 

u The pressure of greater and more important dan- 
gers had made me quite resigned to such petty 
losses as these, and I watched, with much amuse- 
ment, the appropriation of unusual articles. A 
black silk cravat which had seen much service in 
New Haven drawing-rooms, was twisted about the 
suspicious-looking head of an uncommonly dirty 
boy. A pair of heavy riding-boots were transferred 
to the shoulders of a youth who bore the ' gal- 
lows mark' upon his features with unmistakable 
distinctness. A satin vest of Mr. Marsh's was cir- 
culating through the crowd, on the person of a dirty 
child, who boasted no other wealth but a ragged 
shirt and a green pomegranate. I looked at the 
voumrster with a smile of congratulation ; but he 
turned upon his heel and strutted gravely away, his 
new garment trailing on the ground at every step. 

" Having lightened our baggage considerably at 
this haul, they proceeded to search our persons. It 
had been our first movement, on being placed by 
ourselves, to transfer our watches, together with a 
locket, — all priceless memorials of distant or de- 
parted friends — from the waistcoat to the pantaloons 
fob ; a pocket compass attached to my watchguard, 
was cared for ; likewise, the little note-book in which 
I was accustomed to place the map of each day's 

journey. We knew not how soon we might be 
15* 



346 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

wandering in the mountains on foot, and without a 
guide. Dr. Bacon had with him two English sove- 
reigns, and we were uncertain what to do with 
them. If we should openly give them to the rob- 
bers, we dreaded the effect of the auri sacra fames. 
If discovered in a secret place, we might be stripped 
in the search for more. The attempt to conceal 
them in the earth might be perilous. They were 
finally placed in the waistcoat fob, from which the 
watch had been taken, with the hope that the 
clumsy Kurds might overlook it. 

"They began with me. The Agha, with an irre- 
sistible smile and bow of apology, passed his hand 
about my waist, feeling for a money belt, then over 
my dress; finding that one of my breeches' pockets 
was full, he motioned me to empty it, and seemed 
satisfied when I drew out a handkerchief and a pair 
of gloves. Dr. Bacon was then searched, even 
more superficially; but as the hand passed over the 
waistcoat pocket, something jingled. I held my 
breath as Dr. B. put in his hand and drew out a 
seal, which he had bought at Mosul as an antique. 
Upon Mr. Marsh, the Agha found a gold pencil case, 
which pleased him wonderfully. On being told of 
its use, he scrawled with the pencil on the beyur- 
halcleh, an autograph, for which I have a peculiar 
value. The mystery of this was, that he restored 



BY LAND AND SEA. 347 

the pencil, with a grin of self-righteousness, to Mr. 
Marsh." 

After waiting some time in suspense, the trav- 
elers were suffered to leave, in charge of a Kurdish 
guard : 

"It soon became evident that we were not on the 
road to Oroomiah. Whither we were going, was a 
matter of painful mystery. At the distance of more 
than a mile, as we passed a village, a single chris- 
tian, a man of Akkre, came out in a crowd of curi- 
ous villagers, to offer his sympathy. As each of us 
passed him, he bowed, Avith his head to the ground, 
and with the strongest expression of regard, urged 
us to remain with him there, as he would guarantee 
our safet} r . It was not for us, however, to say, and 
we pressed forward ; but Khudhr soon brought us 
the intelligence, which he had obtained here, that 
we were being led to the village of a Mullah, a very 
holy man, under whose protection we might feel 
entirely secure. He added, that toward Oroomiah 
it would be quite impossible to go ; our only escape 
was toward Mosul." 

The Mullah received them kindly, entertained 
them a day in his house, where all the diseased per- 
sons in the neighborhood were brought for them to 
cure, and started with them early on the morning 
of the 30th of May, to accompany them on their 



348 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

way back to Mosul. On reaching a village, toward 
noon, a scene took place, which is of so much 
interest that we give Mr. Bacon's account of it 
in full : 

" We were assisted from our horses by a remark- 
ably ill-looking set of men, whom we supposed to 
have come out to see us from curiosity. An unpre- 
possessing young gentleman, with a scar that divid- 
ed his nose and his upper lip, and a silver-mounted 
dagger, took a seat near the Mullah, and a violent 
discussion immediately commenced, of the drift of 
which, we were, happily, ignorant. Soon, another 
party of villagers appeared, headed by another young 
man, who was quite the counterpart of the first, 
even to the scar in his lip ; but his dagger-hilt and 
sheath were of solid silver, set with precious stones, 
and the long ringlets which hung upon his shoul- 
ders, were still more daintily curled. The arrival 
of this reinforcement renewed the violence of the 
discussion, between the Mullah on one side, and the 
young men on the other. It plainly related to us, and 
the fierce looks of the Kurds, as they walked to and 
fro with their hands on their daggers, would have 
alarmed us, had we not had full confidence in the 
power and good will of our friend. The controversy 
had a good deal subsided, when the approach of still 
another party renewed it once more. The Agha 



BY LAND AND SKA. 349 

himself was coming. Ho was a man of fifty jeixvs, 
with a once gray heard, dyed a bright red, and with 
his lower eyebrows stained a livid hlue-black. He 
greeted us with a ferocious smile, and entered at 
once into earnest conversation with Mullah Mustafa. 
The conversation was interrupted, now and then, by 
one of his amiable sons leaping from his scat, and 
speaking violently, to the great apparent satisfaction 
)f the crowd. 

"We soon learned the nature of these discussions 
from Klmdr, who had been an attentive and agitat- 
ed listener to the whole. The respectable old gen- 
tleman, it seems, had sent his first son to murder us, 
placing the second at a convenient distance to assist 
him. The latter, surprised that the business lagged, 
came up to see to it. And. the Agha himself, 
finding that business lagged, came finally to at- 
tend to it himself. The Mullah urged, the danger 
of injuring persons of consequence. l The sword 
of the Frank is long,' said he. But this argument 
was without effect. Mustafa then appealed to him 
not to disgrace his hospitality. These men were 
under his own protection, and he would not see 
them wronged. This argument also failed. He 
now urged that we were men of influence at 
Mosul, and were going direct to Constantinople; 
that, by securing our influence against his colleague 



350 PERILOUS ADVENTURES 

and rival, Melul Agha,, he might secure a perpetual 
supremacy in the district of Sherwan. 

" This plea gained the case ; the eyes of the old 
savage glistened with diabolical satisfaction as he 
thought of the villainous trick he was about to play 
upon his rival. He drew from his bosom a letter 
and handed it to the Mullah, who read it and handed 
it to our servant. It was written by Melul Agha, 
to Khan Abdul, our present host, directing him to 
take the rest of our property, and murder us with- 
out fail. This letter had been written on the blank 
page of another letter, sent to Melul Agha, by Mus- 
tafa Agha, of Ziba, who resides at Akkre. It was 
the last scoundrel who had sent letters in advance 
of us into the mountains, inviting them to murder 
us — and this, all for the sake of making a little 
impression on the government at Mosul." 

After these hair-breadth escapes from murder, the 
party returned in safety to Mosul. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 351 



A BATTLE WITH SNAKES. 

Since the exhibitions in London of the two Hin- 
doo snake-charmers — the first we believe who ever 
visited Europe — everything relating to serpents 
seems to have acquired additional interest. Many 
facts regarding the nature and habits of the va- 
rious species have been published, affording much 
information and still greater astonishment. 

Water ton, in his " Wanderings in South America 
and the Antilles, in 1812-24," relates some stories 
of so marvellous a character, that, coming from a 
less authentic source, their truth might be reason- 
ably doubted. 

While in the region of Mibri Hill, Mr. Waterton 
long sought in vain for a serpent of large size, and 
finally, offered a reward to the negroes if they 
would find him one. A few days afterward one of 
the natives, followed by his little dog, came to him 
with the information that a snake of respectable 
dimensions had been discovered a short distance up 
the hill ; and armed with an eight feet lance, and 
accompanied by two negroes with cutlasses and the 
dog, he at once started to take a look at it. Mr. 



352 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Waterton states that he was barefoot, with an old 
hat, check shirt and trousers on, and a pair of 
braces to keep them up. His snakeship was point- 
ed out as lying at the roots of a large tree which 
had been torn up by a whirlwind. But the remain- 
der of the story shall be given in the traveler's own 
words : 

I advanced up to the place slow and cautious. 
The snake was well concealed, but at last I made him 
out ; it was a coulacanara, not poisonous, but large 
enough to have crushed any of us to death. On 
measuring him afterward, he was something more 
than fourteen feet long. This species of snake is 
very rare, and much thicker in proportion to its 
length than any other snake in the forest. A cou- 
lacanara of fourteen feet in length, is as thick as 
a common boa of twenty-four feet. After skinning 
this snake, I could easily get my head into his 
mouth, as the singular formation of the jaws admits 
of wonderful extension. 

On ascertaining the size of the serpent, I retired 
slowly the way I came, and promised four dollars to 
the negro who had shown it to me, and one dollar 
to the other who had joined us. Aware that the 
day was on the decline, and that the approach of 
night would be detrimental to the dissection, a 
thought struck me that I could take him alive. I 



BY LAND AND SEA. 353 

imagined that if I could strike him with the lance 
behind the head, and pin him to the ground, I might 
succeed in capturing him. When I told this to the 
negroes, they begged and entreated me to let them 
go for a gun and bring more force, as they were 
sure the snake would kill some of us. Taking, 
however, a cutlass from one of the negroes, and 
then ranging both of the sable slaves behind me, I 
told them to follow me, and that I would cut them 
down if they offered to fly. When we had got up 
to the place, the serpent had not stirred : but I 
could see nothing of his head, and judged by the 
folds of his body that it must be at the farthest side 
of the den. A species of woodbine formed a com- 
plete mantle over the branches of the fallen tree, 
almost impervious to the rain or the rays of the 
sun. Probably he had resorted to this sequestered 
place for a length of time, as it bore marks of an 
ancient settlement. 

I now took my knife, determined to cut away the 
woodbine, and break the twigs in the gentlest man- 
ner possible, till I could get a view of his head. 
One neero stood guard close behind me with a cut- 
lass. The cutlass which I had taken from the first 
negro, was on the ground close beside me, in case of 
need. After working in dead silence for a quarter 
of an hour, with one knee all the time on the ground, 



354 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

I had cleared away enough to see his head. It ap- 
peared coming out between the first and second coils 
of his body, and was flat on the ground. This was 
the very position I wished it to be in. I rose in 
silence, and retreated very slowly, making a sign to 
the negroes to do the same. The dog was sitting 
at a distance in mute observance. I could now read 
in the faces of the negroes, that they considered this 
a very unpleasant affair; and they made another 
vain attempt to persuade me to let them go for a 
gun. I smiled in a good-natured manner, and made 
a feint to cut them down with the weapon I had in 
my hand. This was all the answer I made to their 
request, and they looked very uneasy. 

It must be observed that we w T ere about twenty 
yards from the snake's den. I now ranged the ne- 
groes behind me, and told him who stood next to 
me, to lay hold of the lance the moment I struck the 
snake, and that the other must attend my move- 
ments. It now only remained to take their cut- 
lasses from them ; for I was sure that if I did not 
disarm them, they would be tempted to strike the 
snake in time of danger, and thus forever spoil his 
skin. On taking their cutlasses from them, if I 
might judge from their physiognomy, they seemed 
to consider it as a most intolerable act of tyranny. 
Probably nothing kept them from bolting, but the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 355 

consolation that I was betwixt them and the snake. 
Indeed, my own heart, in spite of all I could do, 
beat quicker than usual. We went slowly on in 
silence, without moving our arms or heads, in order 
to prevent all alarm as much as possible, lest the 
snake should glide off, or attack us in self-defence. 
I carried the lance perpendicularly before me, with 
the point about a foot from the ground. The snake 
had not moved, and on getting up to him, I struck 
him with the lance on the near side, just behind the 
neck, and pinned him to the ground. That moment 
the negro next to me seized the lance and held it 
firm in its place, while I dashed head foremost into 
the den to grapple with the snake, and to get hold 
of his tail before he could do any mischief. 

On pinning him to the ground with the lance, he 
gave a tremendous loud hiss, and the little dog ran 
away, howling as he w T ent. We had a sharp fray in 
the den, the rotten sticks flying on all sides, and 
each party struggling for superiority. I called out 
to the second negro to throw himself upon me, as I 
found I was not heavy enough. He did so, and the 
additional weight was of great service. I had now 
got a firm hold of his tail, and after a violent strug- 
gle or two, he gave in, finding himself overpowered. 
This was the moment to secure him. So while the 
first nesTO continued to hold the lance firm to the 



dbb THRILLING ADVENTURES 

ground, and the other was helping me, I contrived 
to unloosen my braces, and with them tied the 
snake's mouth. 

The snake now finding himself in an unpleasant 
predicament, tried to better himself, and set reso- 
lutely to work, but we overpowered him. We con- 
trived to make him twist himself round the shaft of 
the lance, and then prepared to convey him out of 
the forest. I stood at his head, and held it firm 
under my arm, one negro supporting the belly and 
the other the tail. In this order we began to move 
slowly toward home, and reached it after resting 
ten times ; for the snake was too heavy for us to 
support, without stopping to recruit our strength. 
As we proceeded onward with him, he fought hard 
for freedom, but it was all in vain. We untied the 
mouth of the bag, kept him down by main force, 
and then cut his throat. 

The week following, a curious conflict took place 
near the spot where I had captured the large snake. 
In the morning I had been following a species of 
paroquet, and, the day being rainy, I had taken an 
umbrella to keep the gun dry, and had left it under 
a tree : in the afternoon, I took Dacldj-- Quashi (tho 
negro) with me to look for it. While he was search 
ing about, curiosity led me toward the place of the 
late scene of action. There was a path where timber 



BY LAND AND SEA. OcW 

had formerly been dragged along. Here I observed 
a young coulacanara, ten feet long, slowly moving 
onward; and I saw lie was thick enough to break 
my arm, in case he got twisted around it. There 
was not a moment to be lost. I laid hold of his 
tail with the left hand, one knee being on the 
ground ; and, with the right hand, I took off 
my hat, and held it as I would hold a shield for 
defence. 

The snake instantly turned, and came on at me 
with his head about a yard from the ground, as if 
to ask me what business I had to take such liberties 
with his tail. I let him come, hissing and open- 
mouthed, within two feet of my face, and then, with 
all the force that I was master of, drove my list, 
shielded by my hat, full in his jaws. He was stun- 
ned and confounded by the blow, and, ere he could 
recover himself, I had seized his throat with both 
hands, in such a position that he could not bite me. 
I then allowed him to coil himself around my body, 
and marched off with him as my lawful prize. He 
pressed me hard, but not alarmingly so. 



► 58 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



ESTILL'S DEFEAT. 

In the spring of 1782, a party of twenty-five 
Wyandots secretly approached Estill's station, and 
committed shocking outrages. Entering a cabin, 
they tomahawked and scalped a woman and her two 
daughters. The neighborhood was instantly alarm- 
ed. Captain Estill speedily collected a body of 
twenty-five men, and pursued the hostile trail with 
great rapidity. He came up with the savages on 
Hinkston fork of Licking, immediately after they 
had crossed it; and a most severe and desperate 
conflict ensued. 

Estill, unfortunately, sent six of his men under 
Lieutenant Miller, to attack the enemy's rear. The 
Indian leader immediately availed himself of this 
dimunition of force, rushed upon the weakened line 
of his adversaries, and compelled him to give way. 
A total route ensued. Captain Estill was killed 
together with his gallant lieutenant, South. Four 
men were wounded and fortunately escaped. Nine 
fell under the tomahawk, and were scalped. The 
Indians also suffered severely, and are believed to 
have lost half of their warriors. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 361 



INCIDENT AT NIAGARA FALLS. 

On Saturday, the 13th of July, 1850, as a boy, 
ten years old, was rowing his father over to their 
home on Grand Island, the father being so much in- 
toxicated as not to be able to assist any more than 
to steer the canoe, the wind, which was very strong 
off shore, so frustrated the efforts of his tiny arm, 
that the canoe in spite of him, got into the current, 
and finally into the rapids, within a very few rods of 
the Falls! On went the frail shell, careering and 
plunging as the mad waters chose. Still the gallant 
little oarsman maintained his struggle with the ra- 
ging billows, and actually got the canoe, by his per- 
severing manoeuvring so close to Iris Island, as to 
have her driven by a providential wave in between 
the little islands called the Sisters. Here the father 
and his dauntless boy weve in still greater danger 
for an instant ; for there is a fall between the two 
islands, over which had they gone, no earthly power 
could have withheld their final passage to the terrific 
precipice, which forms the Horse-shoe Fall. But the 
sudden dash of a wave capsized the canoe, and left 

the two struggling in the water. Being near a rock, 
1 6 



362 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and shallow, the boy lost no time, but seizing his 
father by the coat collar, dragged him up to a place 
of safety, where the crowd of anxious citizens await- 
ed to lend assistance. The poor boy on reaching 
the shore in safety, instantly fainted, while his mis- 
erable father was sufficiently sobered by the perils 
he had passed through. The canoe was dashed to 
pieces on the rocks ere it reached its final leap. 



A SKATER CHASED BY A WOLF. 

A thrilling incident in American country life is 
vividly sketched in " Evenings at Donaldson Man- 
or." In the winter of 1844, the relater went out 
one evening to skate, on the Kennebec, in Maine, 
by moonlight, and, having ascended that river nearly 
two miles, turned into a little stream to explore its 
course. 

" Fir and hemlock of a century's growth," he 
says, " met overhead and formed an archway, radi- 
ant with frostwork. All was dark within ; but I 
was young and fearless; and, as I peered into an 
unbroken forest that reared itself on the borders 
of the stream, I laughed with very joyousness ; my 
wild hurrah rang through the silent woods, and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 363 

I stood listening to the echo that reverberated again 
and again, until all was hushed. Suddenly a sound 
arose — it seemed to me to come from beneath the 
ice ; it sounded low and tremulous at first, until it 
ended in a low, wild yell. I was appalled. Never 
before had such a noise met my ears. I thought 
it more than mortal ; so fierce, and amid such an 
unbroken solitude, it seemed as though from the 
tread of some brute animal, and the blood rushed 
back to my forehead with a bound that made my 
skin burn, and I felt relieved that I had to contend 
with things earthly and not spiritual ; my ener- 
gies returned, and I looked around me for some 
means of escape. As I turned my head to the 
shore, I could see two dark objects dashing through 
the underbrush, at a pace nearly double in speed to 
my own. By this rapidity, and the short yells they 
occasionally gave, I knew at once that these were 
the much-dreaded gray wolf. 

" I had never met with these animals, but, from 
the description given of them, I had very little 
pleasure in making their acquaintance. Their un- 
tamable fierceness, and the enduring strength, which 
seems part of their nature, render them objects of 
dread to every benighted traveler. 

" There was no time for thought ; so I bent my 
head and dashed madly forward. Nature turned 



364 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

me toward home. The light flakes of snow spun 
from the iron skates, and I was some distance from 
my pursuers, when their fierce howl told me I was 
their fugitive. I did not look back ; I did not feel 
afraid, or sorry, or even glad ; one thought of home, 
the bright faces waiting my return — of their tears, 
if they should never see me again, and then every 
energy of body and mind was exerted for escape. 
I was perfectly at home on the ice. Many were 
the days that I had spent on my good skates, never 
thinking that at one time they would be my only 
means of safety. Every half minute, an alternate 
yelp from my ferocious followers, told me too certain 
that they were in close pursuit. Nearer and nearer 
they came ; I heard their feet pattering on the ice 
nearer still, until I could feel their breath, and hear 
their sniffling scent. 

" Every nerve and muscle in my frame was 
stretched to the utmost tension. The trees along 
the shore seemed to dance in the uncertain light, 
and my brain turned with my own breathless speed, 
yet still they seemed to hiss forth their breath with 
a sound truly horrible, when an involuntary motion 
on my part, turned me out of my course. The 
wolves, close. behind, unable to stop, and as unable 
to turn on the smooth ice, slipped and fell, still 
going on far ahead ; their tongues were lolling out, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 



365 



their white tusks glaring from their bloody mouths, 
their dark, shaggy breasts were fleeced with foam, 
and, as they passed me, their eyes glared, and they 
howled with fury. 

" The thought flashed on my.mind, that, by these 
means, I could avoid them, viz : by turning aside 
whenever they came too near; for they, by the 
formation of their feet, are unable to run on the 
ice, except in a straight line. 

" At one time, by delaying my turning too long, 
my sanguinary antagonists came so near, that they 
threw the white foam over my dress, as they sprang 
to seize me, and their teeth clashed together like 
the spring of a fox-trap ! 

" Had my skates failed for one instant, had I 
tripped on a stick, or caught my foot in a fissure 
in the ice, the story I am now telling would never 
have been told. 

" I thought over all the chances ; I knew where 
they would take hold of me, if I fell ; I thought 
how long it would be before I died ; and then there 
would be a search for the body that would already 
have its tomb ! for, oh ! how fast man's mind traces 
out all the dread colors of death's picture, only those 
who have been so near the grim original can tell. 

" But I soon came opposite the house, and, my 
hounds, — I knew their deep voices, — roused by the 






366 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

noise, bayed furiously from the kennels. I heard 
their chains rattle ; how I wished they would break 
them ! and then I would have protectors that would 
be peer to the fiercest denizens of the forest. The 
wolves, taking the hint conveyed by the dogs, stop- 
ped in their mad career, and, after a moment's con- 
sideration, turned and fled. I watched them until 
their dusky forms disappeared over a neighboring 
hill ; then, taking off my skates, I wended my way 
to the house, with feelings which may be better 
imagined than described. But, even yet, I never 
see a broad sheet of ice in the moonshine, without 
thinking of the sniffling breath, and those fearful 
things that followed me closely down the frozen 
Kennebec." 



OUR FLAG ON THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 

We find the following incident of placing the 
American flag on the highest point of the Rocky 
Mountains, in "Col. Fremont's Narrative:" 

We managed to get our mules up to a little bench 
about a hundred feet above the lakes, where there 
was a patch of good grass, and turned them loose 
to graze. During our rough ride to this place, they 



BY LAND AND SEA. 367 

had exhibited a wonderful surefootedness. Parts 
of the defile were filled with angular, sharp frag- 
ments of rock, three or four and eight or ten feet 
cube ; and among these they had worked their way, 
leaping from one narrow point to another, rarely 
making a false step, and giving us no occasion to 
dismount. Having divested ourselves of every un- 
necessary encumbrance, we commenced the ascent. 
This time, like experienced travelers, we did not 
press ourselves, but climbed leisurely, sitting down 
so soon as we found breath beginning to fail. At 
intervals, we reached places where a number of 
springs gushed from the rocks, and, about 1800 
feet above the lakes, came to the snow line. From 
this point, our progress was uninterrupted climbing. 
Hitherto, I had worn a pair of thick moccasins, with 
soles of parfleche, but here I put on a light, thin 
pair, which I had brought for the purpose, as now 
the use of our toes became necessary to a further 
advance. I availed myself of a sort of comb of 
the mountain, which stood against the wall like a 
buttress, and which the wind and the solar radia- 
tion, joined to the steepness of the smooth rock, 
had kept almost entirely free from snow. Up this, 
I made my way rapidly. Our cautious method of 
advancing, at the outset, had spared my strength ; 
and, with the exception of a slight disposition to 



368 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

oadache, I felt no remains of yesterday's illness. 
:i a few minutes we reached a point where the 
ittress was overhanging, and there was no other 
,vay of surmounting the difficulty than by passing 
round one side of it, which was the face of a 
ertical precipice of several hundred feet. 

Putting hands and feet in the crevices between 
the blocks, I succeeded in getting over it, and, 
when I reached the top, found my companions in 
a small valley below. Descending to them, we con- 
tinued climbing, and in a short time reached the 
crest. I sprang upon the summit, and another step 
would have precipitated me into an immense snow- 
field, five hundred feet below. To the edge of this 
field was a sheer icy precipice ; and then, with a 
gradual fall, the field sloped off for about a mile, 
until it struck the foot of another lower ridge. I 
stood on a narrow crest, about three feet in width, 
with an inclination of about 20° N., 51° E. As 
soon as I had gratified the first feelings of curiosity, 
I descended, and each man ascended in his turn; for 
I would only allow one at a time to mount the un- 
stable and precarious slab, which, it seemed, a breath 
would hurl into the abyss below. We mounted the 
barometer in the snow of the summit, and, fixing 
a ramrod in a crevice, unfurled the national flag to 
wave in the breeze, where flag never waved before. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 371 

During our morning's ascent, we had met no sign 
of animal life, except a small sparrow-like bird. A 
stillness the most profound, and a terrible solitude, 
forced themselves constantly on the mind as the 
great features of the place. Here, on the summit, 
where the stillness was absolute, unbroken by any 
sound, and solitude complete, we thought ourselves 
beyond the region of animated life ; but, while we 
were sitting on the rock, a solitary bee (bromus, the 
humble-bee) came winging his flight from the east- 
ern valley, and lit on the knee of one of the men. 

It was a strange place, the icy rock and the 
highest peak of the Rocky mountains, for a lover 
of warm sunshine and flowers; and we pleased 
ourselves with the idea that he was the first of his 
species to cross the mountain barrier — a solitary 
pioneer to foretell the advance of civilization. I 
believe that a moment's thought would have made 
us let him continue his way unharmed ; but we 
carried out the law of this country, where all ani- 
mated nature seems at war; and, seizing him im- 
mediately, put him in at least a fit place — in the 
leaves of a large book, among the flowers we had 
collected on our way. 



372 THEILLINO ADVENTURES 



RUNNING THE CANON. 

Col. Fremont, in his narrative, gives the following 
account of a perilous adventure of himself and party, 
in attempting to run a canon, on the river Platte. 
They had previously passed three cataracts : 

We reembarked at nine o'clock, and, in about 
twenty minutes, reached the next canon. Landing 
on a rocky shore at its commencement, we ascended 
the ridge to reconnoiter. Portage was out of the 
question. So far as we could see, the jagged rocks 
pointed out the course of the canon, on a winding 
line of seven or eight miles. It was simply a nar- 
row, dark chasm in the rock ; and here the perpen- 
licular faces were much higher than in the previous 
pass, being at this end two to three hundred, and 
further down, as we afterward ascertained, five 
hundred feet in vertical height. 

Our previous success had made us bold, and we 
determined again to run the canon. Every thing 
was secured as firmly as possible ; and, having dk 
vested ourselves of the greater part of our clothing, 



BY LAND AND SEA< 373 

we pushed into the stream. To save our chronom- 
eter from accident, Mr. Preuss took it, and at- 
tempted to proceed along the shore on the masses 
of rock, which, in places, were piled up on either 
side ; but, after he had walked about five minutes, 
every thing like shore disappeared, and the vertical 
wall came squarely down into the water. He there- 
fore waited until we came up. 

An ugly pass lay before us. We had made fast 
to the stern of the boat a strong rope about fifty 
feet long ; and three of the men clambered along 
among the rocks, and, with this rope, let her slowly 
through the pass. In several places, high rocks lay 
scattered about in the channel ; and, in the narrows, 
it required all our strength and skill to avoid stav- 
ing the boat on the sharp points. In one of these, 
the boat proved a little too broad, and stuck fast 
for an instant, while the water flew over us; for- 
tunately, it was but for an instant, as our united 
strength forced her immediately through. The wa- 
ter swept overboard only a sextant and a pair of 
saddle-bags. I caught the sextant as it passed by 
me ; but the saddle-bags became the prey of the 
whirlpools. We reached the place where Mr. Preuss 
was standing, took him on board, and, with the aid 
of the boat, put the men with the rope on the suc- 
ceeding pile of rocks. 



374 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

We found this passage much worse than the pre- 
vious one, and our position was rather a bad one. 
To go back was impossible ; before us, the cataract 
was a sheet of foam ; and, shut up in the chasm by 
the rocks, which, in some places, seemed almost to 
meet overhead, the roar of the water was deafening. 
We pushed off again; but, after making a little dis- 
tance, the force of the current became too great 
for the men on shore, and two of them let go the 
rope. Lajeunesse, the third man, hung on, and 
was jerked headforemost into the river, from a rock 
about twelve feet high; and down the boat shot, 
like an arrow, Bazil following us in the rapid cur- 
rent, and exerting all his strength to keep in mid 
channel — his head only seen occasionally like a 
black spot in the white foam. How far we went, 
I do not exactly know ; but we succeeded in turn- 
ing the boat into an eddy below. " ' Cre Dien" 
said Bazil Lajeunesse, as he arrived immediately 
after us, " Je crois Men quefai nage tin demi ?nile" 
He had owed his life to his skill as a swimmer, and 
I determined to take him and two others on board, 
and trust to skill and fortune to reach the other 
end in safety. We placed ourselves on our knees, 
with the short paddles in our hands, the most skill- 
ful boatman being at the bow ; and again we com- 
menced our rapid descent. We cleared rock after 



BY LAND AND SEA. 375 

rock, and shot past fall after fall, our little boat 
seeming to play with the cataract We became 
flushed with success, and familiar with danger; and, 
yielding to the excitement of the occasion, broke 
forth into a Canadian boat-song. Singing, or rather 
shouting, we dashed along, and were, I believe, in 
the midst of the chorus, when the boat struck a 
concealed rock immediately at the foot of a fall, 
which whirled her over in an instant. Three of 
my men could not swim, and my first feeling was 
to assist them, and save some of our effects ; but 
a sharp concussion or two convinced me that I had 
not yet saved myself. A few strokes brought me 
into an eddy, and I landed on a pile of rocks on the 
left side. Looking around, I saw that Mr. Preuss 
had gained the shore on the same side, about twenty 
yards below ; and a little climbing and swimming 
soon brought him to my side. On the opposite side, 
against the wall, lay the boat, bottom up; and Lam- 
bert was in the act of saving Descoteaux, whom he 
had grasped by the hair, and who could not swim. 
For a hundred yards below, the current was 
covered with floating books and boxes, bales and 
blankets, and scattered articles of clothing; and so 
strong and boiling was the stream, that even our 
heavy instruments, which were all in cases, kept on 
the surface, and the sextant, circle, and the long, 



376 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

black box of the telescope, were in view at once. 
For a moment, I felt somewhat disheartened. All 
our books — almost every record of the journey — 
our journals and registers of astronomical and baro- 
metrical observations — had been lost in a moment. 
But it was no time to indulge in regrets ; and I 
immediately set about endeavoring to save some- 
thing from the wreck. Making ourselves understood 
as well as possible by signs, (for nothing could be 
heard in the roar of the waters,) we commenced 
our operations. Of every thing on board, the only 
article that had been saved was my double-barreled 
gun, which Descoteaux had caught and clung to 
with drowning tenacity. The men continued down 
the river on the left bank. Mr. Preuss and myself 
descended on the side we were on; and Lajeunesse, 
with a paddle in his hand, jumped on the boat alone, 
and continued down the canon. She was now light, 
and cleared every bad place with much less diffi- 
culty. In a short time he was joined by Lambert, 
and the search was continued for about a mile and 
a half, which was as far as the boat could proceed 
in the pass. 

Here the walls were about five hundred feet high, 
and the fragments of rocks from above had choked 
the river into a hollow pass, but one or two feet 
above the surface. Through this, and the interstices 



BY LAND AND SEA. 377 

of the rock, the water found its way. Favored 
beyond our expectations, all our registers had been 
recovered, with the exception of one of my journals, 
which contained the notes and incidents of travel, 
and topographical descriptions, a number of scat- 
tered astronomical observations, principally meridian 
altitudes of the sun, and our barometrical register 
west of Laramie. Fortunately, our other journals 
contained duplicates of the most important barome- 
trical observations. In addition to these, we saved 
the circle ; and these, with a few blankets, consti- 
tuted every thing that had been rescued from the 
waters. 



THE RESCUE. 



A young girl has been captured at her father's 
hut, when all the males of the household are absent 
hunting wolves. She is seized by the Indians, and 
borne swiftly away to the encampment of a war 
party of the Osages. She is then placed in a " land 
canoe " and hurried rapidly forward toward their vil- 
lages. Among the party she recognizes one whose 
life she had been instrumental in saving, when a 
prisoner. He recognizes her, and promises to assist 



378 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

her escape. At this point the following narrative 
commences : 

At a late and solemn hour, the Indian who had 
been the captive the night before, suddenly ceased 
his snoring, which had been heard without inter- 
mission for a great length of time ; and when Mary 
instinctively cast her eyes toward him, she was sur- 
prised to see him gently and slowly raise his head. 
He enjoined silence by placing his hand upon his 
mouth. After carefully disengaging himself from 
his comrades, he crept quietly away, and soon van- 
ished entirely from sight on the northern side of the 
spreading beech. Mary expected he would soon 
return and assist her to escape. Although she was 
aware of the hardships and perils that would attend 
her flight, yet the thought of again meeting her 
friends was enough to nerve her for the undertaking, 
and she waited with anxious impatience the coming 
of her rescuer. But he came not. She could at- 
tribute no other design in his conduct but that of 
effecting her escape, and yet he neither came for her, 
nor beckoned her away. She had reposed confi- 
dence in his promise, for she knew that the Indian, 
savage as he was, rarely forfeited his word ; but 
when gratitude inspired a pledge, she could not be- 
lieve that . he would use deceit. The fire was now 
burning quite low, and its waning light scarce cast a 



BY LAND AND SEA. 879 

beam upon the branches overhead. It was evident- 
ly not far from morning, and every hope of present 
escape entirely fled from her bosom. But just as 
she was yielding to despair, she saw the Indian re- 
turning in a stealthy pace, bearing some dark object 
in his arms. He glided to her side, and motioned 
to her to leave the snow-canoe, and also to take with 
her all her robes with which she had been enveloped. 
She did his bidding, and then he carefully deposited 
the burden he bore in the place she had just occu- 
pied. A portion of the object becoming unwrapped, 
Mary discovered it to be a huge mass of snow, re- 
sembling in some respects a human form, and the 
Indian's stratagem was at once apparent to her. 
Relinquishing herself to his guidance, she was led 
noiselessly through the bushes about a hundred 
paces distant from the fire, to a large fallen tree that 
had yielded to some furious storm, when her con- 
ductor paused. He pointed to a spot where a curve 
caused the huge trunk to rise about a foot from the 
surface of the snow, under which was a round hole 
cut through the drifted snow down to the earth, 
and in which were deposited several buffalo robes, 
and so arranged that a person could repose within, 
without coming in contact with the frozen element 
around. Mary looked down, and then at her com- 
panion, to ascertain his intentions. He spoke to her 



380 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

in a low tone, enough of which she comprehended 
to understand that he desired her to descend into 
the pit without delay. She obeyed, and when he 
had carefully folded the robes and divers furs about 
her body, he stepped a few paces to one side, and 
gently lifting up a round lid of snow-crust, placed it 
over the aperture. It had been so smoothly cut, 
and fitted with such precision when replaced, that 
no one would have been able to discover that an in- 
cision had been made. He then bid Mary a " dud 
by " in bad English, and set off on a run in a north- 
ern direction for the purpose of joining the whites. 

With the first light of morning, the war-party 
sprang to their feet, and hastily despatching a slight 
repast, they set out on their journey with renewed 
animation and increased rapidity. Before starting, 
the chief called to Mary, and again offered some 
food ; but no reply being returned, or motion discov- 
ered under the robe which he imagined enveloped 
her, he supposed she was sleeping, and directed the 
party to select the most even route when they emer- 
ged in the prairie, that she might as much as possi- 
ble enjoy her repose. 

The Indian who had planned and executed the 
escape of Mary, with the well-devised cunning for 
which the race is proverbial, had told his compan- 
ions that he would rise before day and pursue the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 381 

(Same direction in advance of them, and endeavor to 
kill a deer for their next night's meal. Thus his 
absence created no suspicion, and the party contin- 
ued their precipitate retreat. 

Bat, about noon, after casting many glances back 
at the supposed form of the captive reclining peace- 
fully in the snow-canoe, the chief, with much excite- 
ment, betrayed by his looks, which seemed to be 
mingled with an apprehension that she was dead, 
abruptly ordered the party to halt. He sprang to 
the canoe, and convulsively tearing away the skins, 
discovered only the roll of snow ! He at first com- 
pressed his lips in momentary rage, and then burst 
into a fit of irrepressible laughter. But the rest 
raved and stamped, and uttered direful imprecations 
and threats of vengeance. Immediately they were 
aware of the treachery of the absent Indian, and 
resolved with one voice that his blood should be 
an atonement for the act. 

The snow was quickly thrown out, and the war- 
party adjusted their weapons, with the expectation 
of encountering the whites ; and then whirling about 
they retraced their steps far more swiftly than they 
had been advancing. Just as the night was setting 
in, they came in sight of the grove where they had 
encamped. They slackened their pace, and looking 
eagerly forward, seemed to think it not improbable 



382 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

that the whites had arrived in the vicinity, and mighi 
be lying in ambush awaiting their return in search 
of the maid. They then abandoned the canoe, after 
having concealed it under some low bushes, and en- 
tered the grove in a stooping and watchful posture. 
Ere long the chief attained the immediate neighbor- 
of the spreading tree, and with an arrow drawn to 
its head, crept within a few paces of the spot where 
he had lain the preceeding night. His party were 
mostly a few feet in the rear, while a few were 
approaching in the same manner from the opposite 
direction. Hearing no sound whatever, he rose up 
slowly, and with an " ugh " of disappointment, strode 
carelessly across the silent and untenanted place of 
encampment. 

"Vexation and anger were expressed by the sav- 
ages in being thus disappointed. They hoped to 
wreak their vengeance on the whites, and resolved 
to recapture the maiden. Where they expected to 
find them, the scene was silent and desolate. And 
they now sauntered about under the trees in the par- 
tial light of the moon that struggled through the mat- 
ted branches, threatening in the most horrid manner, 
the one who had thus baffled them. Some struck 
their tomahawks into the trunks of trees, while 
others brandished their knives, and uttered direful 
threats. The young chief stood in silence, with his 



BY LAND AND SEA. 383 

arms folded on his breast. A small ray of light that 
fell upon his face exhibited a meditative brow, and 
features expressing both firmness and determination. 
Tie had said that the captive should be regained, and 
his followers ever and anon regarded his thoughtful 
attitude with the confidence that his decision would 
hasten the accomplishment of their desires. Long 
he remained thus, motionless and dignified, and no 
one dared to address him. 

The young chief called one of the oldest of the 
party, who was standing a few paces distant absorbed 
in thought, to his side, and after a short conference 
the old savage prostrated himself on the snow, and 
endeavored, like a hound, to scent the tracks of his 
recreant brother. At first he met with no success, 
but when making a wide circuit round the premises, 
still applying his nose to the ground occasionally, 
and minutely examining the bushes, he paused ab- 
ruptly, and announced to the party that he had found 
the precise direction taken by the maid and her de- 
liverer. Instantly they all clustered round him, 
evincing the most intense interest. Some smelt the 
surface of the snow, and others examined the bushes. 
Small twigs, not larger than pins, were picked up 
and closely scrutinized. They well knew that any 
one passing through the frozen and clustered bushes 
must inevitably sever some of the twigs and buds 






384 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

Their progress was slow, but unerring. The course 
they pursued was the direction taken by Mary and 
her rescuer. It was not long before they arrived 
within a few feet of the place of the maiden's con- 
cealment. But now they were at fault. There were 
no bushes immediately around the fallen tree. They 
paused, the chief in the van, with their bows and 
arrows and tomahawks in readiness for instant use. 
They knew that the maiden could not return to her 
friends on foot, or the treacherous savage be able to 
bear her far on his shoulder. They thought that 
one or both must be concealed somewhere in the 
neighborhood, and the fallen tree, were it hollow, 
was the place most likely to be selected for that pur- 
pose. After scanning the fallen trunk a few min- 
utes in silence, and discovering nothing to realize 
their hopes, they uttered a terrific yell, and com- 
menced striking their tomahawks in the wood, and 
ripping up the bark in quest of some hiding-place. 
But their search was in vain. The fallen trunk was 
sound and solid throughout, and the young chief sat 
down on it within three paces of Mary ! Others, in 
passing about, frequently trod on the very verge of 
the concealed pit. 

Mary was awakened by the yell, but knew not 
that the sound came from her enemies. The Indian 
had told her that he would soon return, and her 



BY LAND AND SEA. 385 

heart now fluttered with the hope that her father 
and her friends were at hand. Yet she prudently 
determined not to rush from her concealment until 
she was better assured of the fact. She did not 
think that the savages would ever suspect that she 
was hid under the snow, but yet she thought it very 
strange that her father did not come to her at once. 
Several minutes had elapsed since she had been start- 
led by the sounds in the immediate vicinity. She 
hoard the tramp of men almost directly over her 
head, and the strokes against the fallen trunk. She 
was several times on the eve of rising up, but was 
as often withheld by some mysterious impulse. She 
endeavored to reflect calmly, but still she could not, 
by any mode of conjecture, realize the probability 
of her foes having returned and traced her thither. 
Yet an undefinable fear still possessed her, and she 
endeavored with patience to await the pleasure o 
her friends. But when the chief seated himself i 
her vicinity, and fell into one of his fits of abstrac 
tion, and the whole party became comparatively stil 
and hushed, the poor girl's suspense was almos 
insufferable. She knew that human beings were al 
around her, and yet her situation was truly pitiabl 
and lonely. She felt assured that if the war-part; 
had returned in pursuit of her, the means whic. 

enabled them to trace their victim to the fallen trunl 
17 



38<l THRILLING ADVENTURES 

would likewise have sufficed to indicate her hiding 
place. Then why should they hesitate ? The yells 
that awakened her were not heard distinctly, and 
under the circumstances she could not believe that 
she was surrounded by savages. On the other hand, 
if they were her friends, why did they not relievo 
her ? Now a sudden, but, alas I erroneous thought 
occurred to her. She was persuaded that they were 
her friends, but that the friendly Indian was not 
with them — he had perhaps directed them where 
she could be found, and then rehired to his home. 
Might not her friends, at that moment, be anxiously 
searching for her? Would not one word suffice to 
dispel their solicitude, and restore the lost one to 
their arms? She resolved to speak. Bowing down 
her head slightly, so that her precise location might 
not instantly be ascertained, she uttered in a soft 
voice the word " Father ! " The chief sprang from 
his seat, and the party was instantly in commotion. 
Some of the savages looked above, among the twin- 
ing branches, and some shot their arrows in the 
snow, but fortunately not in the direction of Mary. 
while others ran about in every direction, examining 
all the large trees in the vicinity. The chief was 
amazed and utterly confounded. He drew not forth 
an arrow, nor brandished a tomahawk. While he 
thus stood, and the rest of the party were moving 



BY LAND AND SEA. 387 

hurriedly about, a few paces distant, Mary again re- 
peated the word " Father ! " As suddenly as if by 
enchantment every savage was paralyzed. Each 
stood as devoid of animation as a statue. For many 
moments an intense silence reigned, as if naught 
existed there but the cheerless forest trees. Slowly 
at length, the tomahawk was returned to the belt, 
and the arrow to the quiver. No longer was a de- 
sire to spill blood manifested. The dusky children 
of the forest attributed to the mysterious sound a 
supernatural agency. They believed it was a voice 
from the perennial hunting grounds. Humbly they 
bowed their heads, and whispered devotions to the 
Great Spirit. The young chief alone stood erect. 
He gazed at the round moon above him, and sighs 
burst from his breast, and burning tears ran down 
his stained cheek. Impatiently, by a motion of the 
hand, he directed the savages to leave him, and 
when they withdrew he resumed his seat on the fal- 
len trunk, and reclined his brow upon his hand. 
One of the long feathers that decked his head waved 
forward, after he had been seated thus a few min- 
utes, and when his eye rested upon it he started up 
wildly, and tearing it away, trampled it under his 
feet. At that instant the same "Father!" was 
again heard. The young chief fell upon his knees, 
and, while he panted convulsively, said, in English, 



388 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

m 

"Father! Mother! I'm your poor William — you 
loved me much — where are you ? Oh tell me — I 
will come to you — I want to see you ! " He then 
fell prostrate and groaned piteously. " Father ! Oh ! 
where are you ? " 

" Whose voice was that ? " said Mary, breaking 
through the slight incrustation that obscured her, 
and leaping from her covert. 

The young chief sprang from the earth — gazed 
a moment at the maid — spoke rapidly and loudly 
in the language of his tribe to his party, who were 
now at the place of encampment, seated by the fire 
they had kindled — and then, seizing his tomahawk, 
was in the act of hurling it at Mary, when the yells 
of the war-party and the ringing discharges of fire- 
arms arrested his steel when brandished in the air. 
The white men had arrived ! The young chief 
seized Mary by her long, flowing hair — again pre- 
pared to strike the fatal blow — when she turned her 
face upward, and he again hesitated. Discharges in 
quick succession, and nearer than before, still rang 
in his ears. Mary strove not to escape. Nor did 
the Indian strike. The whites were heard rushing; 
through the bushes — the chief seized the trembling 
girl in his arms — a bullet whizzed by his head — 
but, unmindful of danger, he vanished among the 
dark bushes with his burden. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 389 

" She 's gone ! she 's gone ! " exclaimed Rough- 
grove, looking aghast at the vacated pit under the 
fallen trunk. 

"But we will have her yet," said Boone, as he 
heard Glenn discharge a pistol a few paces apart in 
the bushes. The report was followed by a yell, not 
from the chief, but Sneak, and the next moment 
the rifle of the latter was likewise heard. Still the 
Indian was not dispatched, for the instant after- 
ward his tomahawk, which had been hurled without 
effect, came sailing over the bushes, and penetrated a 
tree hard by, some fifteen or twenty feet above the 
earth, where it entered the wood with such a force 
that it remained firmly fixed. Now succeeded a 
struggle — a violent blow was heard — the fall of 
the Indian, and all was still. A minute afterward 
Sneak emerged from the thicket, bearing Mary in 
his arms, and followed by Glenn. 

" Is she dead ? Oh, she 's dead ! " cried Rough- 
grove, snatching her from the arms of Sneak. 

" She has only fainted ! " exclaimed Glenn, exam- 
ining the body of the girl, and finding no wounds. 

" She 's recovering ! " said Boone, feeling her pulse. 

" God be praised ! " exclaimed Roughgrove, when 
returning animation was manifest. 

" Oh, I know you won't kill me ! for pity's sake, 
spare me ! " said Mary. 



390 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

" It is your father, my poor child ! " said Rough- 
grove, pressing the girl to his heart. 

" It is ! it is ! " cried the happy girl, clinging rap- 
turously to the old man's neck, and then, seizing the 
hands of the rest, she seemed to be half wild with 
delight. 



SHIPWRECK OF THE MEDUSA. 

On the 17th of June, 1816, the Medusa, French 
frigate, commanded by Captain Chaumareys, and 
accompanied by three smaller vessels, sailed from 
the island of Aix, for the coast of Africa, in order to 
take possession of some colonies. On the 1st of 
July, they entered the tropics ; and there, with a 
childish disregard to danger, and knowing that she 
was surrounded by all the unseen perils of the 
ocean, her crew performed the ceremony usual to the 
occasion, while the vessel was running headlong on 
destruction. The captain, presided over the dis- 
graceful scene of merriment, leaving the ship to the 
command of an M. Richefort, who had passed the 
ten preceding years of his life in an English pris- 
on — a few persons on board remonstrated in vain ; 



BY LAND AND SEA. 391 

though it was ascertained that they were on the 
banks of Arguise, she continued her course, and 
heaved the lead, without slackening the sail. Every 
thing denoted shallow water, but M. Richefort per- 
sisted in saying that they were in one hundred 
fathoms. At that very moment only six fathoms 
were found; and the vessel struck three times, 
being in about sixteen feet water, and the tide full 
flood. At ebb-tide, there remained but twelve feet 
water; and after some bungling manoeuvres, all hope 
of getting the ship off was abandoned. 

When the frigate struck, she had on board six 
boats, of various capacities, all of which could not 
contain the crew and passengers ; and a raft was 
constructed. A dreadful scene ensued. All scram- 
bled out of the wreck without order or precaution. 
The first who reached the boats refused to admit 
any of their fellow-sufferers into them, though there 
was ample room for more. Some, apprehending that 
a plot had been formed to abandon them in the ves- 
sel, flew to arms. No one assisted his companions ; 
and Captain Chaumareys stole out of a port-hole into 
his own boat, leaving a great part of the crew to 
shift for themselves. At length they put off to sea, 
intending to steer for the sandy coast of the desert, 
there to land, and thence to proceed with a caravan 
to the island of St. Louis. 



392 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

The raft had been constructed without foresight 
or intelligence. It was about sixty-five feet long 
and twenty-five broad, but the only part which could 
be depended upon was the middle ; and that was so 
small, that fifteen persons could not lie down upon 
it. Those who stood on the floor were in constant 
langer of slipping through between the planks ; the 
ea flowed in on all its sides. When one hundred 
ad fifty passengers who were destined to be its 
nrden, were on board, they stood like a solid paral- 
)logram, without a possibility of moving ; and they 
ere up to their waists in water. 
The desperate squadron had only proceeded three 
.ungues, when a faulty, if not treacherous manoeuvre, 
roke the tow-line which fastened the captain's boat 
) the raft; and this became the signal to all to let 
■ose their cables. The weather was calm. The 
ast was known to be but twelve or fifteen leagues 
stant; and the land was in fact discovered by the 
ats on the very same evening on which they 
)andoned the raft. They were not therefore driven 
o this measure by any new perils ; and the cry of 
-'Nous les abandonons ! " which resounded through- 
out the line, was the yell of a spontaneous and 
instinctive impulse of cowardice, perfidy, and cruel- 
ty; and the impulse was as unanimous as it was 
diabolical. The raft was left to the mercv of the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 393 

waves ; one after another, the boats disappeared, 
and despair became general. Not one of the prom- 
ised articles, no provisions, except a very few casks 
of wine, and some spoiled biscuit, sufficient for one 
single meal was found. A small pocket compass, 
which chance had discovered, their last guide in a 
trackless ocean, fell between the beams into the sea. 
As the crew had taken no nourishment since morn- 
ing, some wine and biscuit were distributed ; and 
this day, the fh-st of thirteen on the raft, was the 
last on which they tasted any solid food — except 
such as human nature shudders at. The only thing 
which kept them alive was the hope of revenge on 
those who had treacherously betrayed them. 

The first night was stormy ; and the waves, which 
had free access, committed dreadful ravages, and 
threatened worse. When day appeared, twelve 
miserable wretches were found crushed to death 
between the openings of the raft, and several more 
were missing ; but the number could not be ascer- 
tained, as several soldiers had taken the billets of 
the dead, in order to obtain two, or even three 
rations. The second night was still more dreadful, 
and many were washed off; although the crew had 
so crowded together, that some were smothered by 
the mere pressure. To soothe their last moments, 

the soldiers drank immoderately ; and one, who 
17* 



394 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

affected to rest himself upon the side, but was 
treacherously cutting the ropes, was thrown into 
the sea. Another, whom M. Correard had snatched 
from the waves, turned traitor a second time, as soon 
as he recovered his senses; but he too was killed. 
At length the revolted, who were chiefly soldiers, 
threw themselves upon their knees, and abjectly 
implored mercy. At midnight, however, they re- 
belled again. Those who had no arms, fought with 
their teeth, and thus many severe wounds were 
inflicted. One was most wantonly and dreadfully 
bitten above the heel, while his companions were 
beating him upon the head with their carbines, 
before throwing him into the sea. The raft was 
strewed with dead bodies, after innumerable in- 
stances of treachery and cruelty ; and from sixty to 
sixty-five perished that night. The force and cour- 
age of the strongest began to yield to their misfor- 
tunes; and even the most resolute labored under 
mental derangement. In the conflict, the revolted 
had thrown two casks of wine, and all the remaining 
water, into the sea; and it became necessary to 
diminish each man's share. 

A day of comparative tranquillity succeeded. The 
survivors erected their mast again, which had been 
wantonly cut down in the battle of the night; and 
endeavored to catch some fish, but in vain. They 




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BY LAND AND sEA. 397 

were reduced- to feed on the dead bodies of their 
companions. A third night followed, broken by the 
plaintive cries of wretches, exposed to every kind of 
suffering, ten or twelve of whom died of want, and 
awfully foretold the fate of the remainder. The fol- 
lowing day was fine. Some flying fish were caught 
in the raft; which, mixed up with human flesh, 
afforded one scanty meal. 

A new insurrection to destroy the raft, broke out 
on the fourth night ; this too, was marked by per- 
fidy, and ended iu blood. Most of the rebels were 
thrown into the sea. The fifth morning mustered 
but thirty men alive ; and these sick and wounded, 
with the skin of their lower extremities corroded by 
the salt water. Two soldiers were detected drink- 
ing the wine of the only remaining cask ; they were 
instantly thrown into the sea. One boy died, and 
there remained only twenty-seven; of whom fifteen 
only seemed likely to live. A council of war, pre- 
ceded by the most horrid despair, was held ; as the 
weak consumed a part of the common store, they 
determined to throw them into the sea. This sen- 
tence was put into immediate execution ! and all 
the arms on board, which now filled their minds 
with horror, were, with the exception of a single 
sabre, committed to the deep. Distress and misery 
increased with an accelerated ratio ; and even after 



398 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

the desperate means of destroying their companions, 
and eating the most nauseous aliments, the surviv- 
ing fifteen could not hope for more than a few days' 
existence. A butterfly lighted on their sail the 
ninth day, and though it was held to be a messen- 
ger of good, yet many a greedy eye was cast upon it. 
Three days more passed over in inexpressible 
anguish, when they constructed a smaller and more 
manageable raft, in the hope of directing it to the 
shore ; but on trial it was found insufficient. On 
the seventeenth day, a brig was seen ; which, after 
exciting the vicissitude of hope and fear, proved to 
be the Argus, sent out in quest of the Medusa. 
The inhabitants of the raft were all received on board, 
and were again very nearly perishing, by a fire 
which broke out in the night. The six boats which 
had so cruelly cast them adrift, reached the coast of 
Africa in safety ; and after many dangers among the 
Moors, the survivors arrived at St. Louis. 

After this, a vessel was dispatched to the wreck 
of the Medusa, to carry away the money and provis- 
ions ; after beating about for eight days, she was 
forced to return. She again put to sea, but after 
being away five days, again came back. Ten days 
more were lost in repairing her ; and she did not 
reach the spot till fifty-two days after the vessel had 
been lost; and dreadful to relate, three miserable 



BY LAND AND SEA. 399 

sufferers were found on board. Sixty men bad been 
abandoned there by their magnanimous countrymen. 
All these had been carried off except seventeen, some 
of whom were drunk, and others refused to leave 
the vessel. They remained at peace as long as their 
provisions lasted. Twelve embarked on board a raft, 
for Sahara, and were never more heard of. Another 
put to sea on a hen-coop, and sunk immediately. 
Four remained behind, one of whom, exhausted with 
hunger and fatigue, perished. The other three lived 
in separate corners of the wreck, and never met but 
to run at each other with drawn knives. They were 
put on board the vessel, with all that could be saved 
from the wreck of the Medusa. 

The vessel was no sooner seen returning to St. 
Louis, than every heart beat high with joy, in the 
hope of recovering some property. The men and 
officers of the Medusa jumped on board, and asked 
if any thing had been saved. " Yes," was the reply, 
"but it is all ours now ;" and the naked Frenchmen, 
whose calamities had found pity from the Moors of 
the desert, were now deliberately plundered by their 
own countrymen. 

A fair was held in the town, which lasted eight 
days. The clothes, furniture, and necessary articles 
of life belonging to the men and officers of the Me- 
dusa, were publicly sold before their faces. Such of 



400 THRILLING ADVENTURER 

the French as were able, proceeded to the camp at 
Daceard, and the sick remained at St. Louis. The 
French governor had promised them clothes and 
provisions, but sent none ; and during five months, 
they owed their existence to strangers — to the 
British. 



HUNTING THE MOOSE. 

The habits of the moose, in his manner of de- 
fence and attack, are similar to those of the stag, 
and may be illustrated by the following anecdote 
from the " Random Sketches of a Kentuckian : " 

"Who ever saw Bravo without loving him? His 
sloe-black eyes, his glossy skin, flecked here and 
there with blue ; his wide-spread thighs, clean shoul- 
ders, broad back, and low-drooping chest, bespoke 
him the true stag-hound ; and none, who ever saw 
his bounding form, or heard his deep-toned bay, 
as the swift-footed stag flew before him, would dis- 
pute his title. List, gentle reader, and I will tell 
you an adventure which will make you love him 
all the more. 

"A bright, frosty morning in November, 1838, 
tempted me to visit the forest hunting-grounds. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 401 

On this occasion, I was followed by a fine-looking 
hound, which had been presented to me a few days 
before by a fellow-sportsman. I was anxious to test 
his qualities, and, knowing that a mean dog will not 
often hunt w T ell with a good one, I had tied up the 
eager Bravo, and was attended by the strange dog 
alone. A brisk canter of half an hour brought me to 
the wild forest hills. Slackening the rein, I slowly 
wound my way up a brushy slope some three hun- 
dred yards in length. I had ascended about half 
way, when the hound began to exhibit signs of un- 
easiness, and, at the same instant a stag sprang out 
from some underbrush near by, and rushed like a 
whirlwind up the slope. A word, and the hound 
was crouching at my feet, and my trained Cherokee, 
with ear erect, and flashing eye, watched the course 
of the affrighted animal. 

" On the very summit of the ridge, full one hun- 
dred and fifty yards, every limb standing out in 
bold relief against the clear, blue sky, the stag 
paused, and looked proudly clown upon us. After 
a moment of indecision, I raised my rifle, and sent 
the whizzing lead upon its errand. A single bound, 
and the antlered monarch was hidden from my 
view. Hastily running down a ball, I ascended the 
slope ; my blood ran a little faster as I saw the 
1 gouts of blood ' which stained the withered leaves 



402 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

where he had stood. One moment more, and the 
excited hound was leaping breast high on his trail, 
and the gallant Cherokee bore his rider like light- 
ning after them. 

" Away — away ! for hours we did thus hasten 
on, without once being at fault, or checking our 
headlong speed. The chase had led us miles from 
the starting-point, and now appeared to be bearing 
up a creek, on one side of which arose a precipitous 
hill, some two miles in length, wmich I knew the 
wounded animal would never ascend. 

" Half a mile further on, another hill reared its 
bleak and barren head on the opposite side of the 
rivulet. Once fairly in the gorge, there was no exit 
save at the upper end of the ravine. Here, then, 
I must intercept my game, which I was able to do 
by taking a nearer cut over the ridge, that saved at 
least a mile. 

" Giving one parting shout to cheer my dog, Cher- 
okee bore me headlong to the pass. I had scarcely 
arrived, when, black with sweat, the stag came la- 
boring up the gorge, seemingly, totally reckless of 
our presence. Again I poured forth the i leaden 
messenger of death,' as meteor-like he flashed by 
us. One bound, and the noble animal lay prostrate 
within fifty feet of where I stood. Leaping from 
my horse, and placing one knee upon his shoulder, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 403 

and a hand upon his antlers, I drew my hunting- 
knife ; but scarcely had its keen point touched his 
neck, when, with a sudden bound, he threw me from 
his body, and my knife was hurled from my hand. 
In hunters' parlance, I had only ' creased him.' I 
at once saw my danger, but it was too late. With 
one bound, he was upon me, wounding and almost 
disabling me with his sharp feet and horns. I seized 
him by his wide-spread antlers, and sought to regain 
possession of my knife, but in vain ; each new strug- 
gle drew us further from it. Cherokee, frightened 
at the unusual scene, had madly fled to the top of 
the ridge, where he stood looking down upon the 
combat, trembling and quivering in every limb. 

" The ridge road I had taken placed us far in 
advance of the hound, whose bay I could not now 
hear. The struggles of the furious animal had be- 
come dreadful, and every moment I could feel his 
sharp hoofs cutting deep into my flesh ; my grasp 
upon his antlers was growing less and less firm, 
and yet I relinquished not my hold. The struggle 
had brought us near a deep ditch, washed by the 
fall rains, and into this I endeavored to force my 
adversary, but my strength was unequal to the 
effort ; when we approached to the very brink, he 
leaped over the drain. I relinquished my hold 
and rolled in, hoping thus to escape him j but he 



404 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

returned to the attack, and, throwing himself upon 
me, inflicted numerous severe cuts upon my face 
and breast before I could again seize him. Locking 
my arms around his antlers, I drew his head close 
to my breast, and was thus, by great effort, enabled 
to prevent his doing me any serious injury. But I 
felt that this could not last long • every muscle and 
fiber of my frame was called into action, and human 
nature could not long bear up under such exertion. 
Faltering a, silent prayer to Heaven, I prepared to 
meet my fate. 

" At this moment of despair, I heard the faint 
bayings of the hound ; the stag, too, heard the 
sound, and, springing from the ditch, drew me with 
him. His efforts were now redoubled, and I could 
scarcely cling to him. Yet that blessed sound came 
nearer and nearer ! Oh how wildly beat my heart, 
as I saw the hound emerge from the ravine, and 
spring forward with a short, quick bark, as his 
eye rested on his game. I released my hold of 
the stag, who turned upon the new enemy. Ex- 
hausted, and unable to rise, I still cheered the 
dog, that, dastard-like, fled before the infuriated 
animal, who, seemingly despising such an enemy, 
again threw himself upon me. Again did I suc- 
ceed in throwing my arms around his antlers, 
but not until he had inflicted several deep and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 405 

dangerous wounds upon my head and face, cutting 
to the very bone. 

" Blinded by the flowing blood, exhausted and 
despairing, I cursed the coward dog, who stood near, 
baying furiously, yet refusing to seize his game. 
Oh ! how I prayed for Bravo ! The thoughts of 
death were bitter. To die thus in the wild forest, 
alone, with none to help ! Thoughts of home and 
friends coursed like lightning through my brain. 
At that moment, when Hope herself had fled, deep 
and clear over the neighboring hill, came the baying 
of my gallant Bravo ! I should have known his 
voice among a thousand. I pealed forth in one 
faint shout, ' On Bravo, on ! ' The next moment, 
with tiger-like bounds, the noble dog came leaping 
down the declivity, scattering the dried autumnal 
leaves like a whirlwind in his path. * No pause he 
knew,' but, fixing his fangs in the stag's throat, he 
at once commenced the struggle. 

" I fell back completely exhausted. Blinded with 
blood, I only knew that a terrible struggle was going 
on. In a few moments, all was still, and I felt the 
warm breath of my faithful dog, as he licked my 
wounds. Clearing my eyes from gore, I saw my 
late adversary dead at my feet, and Bravo, 'my own 
Bravo,' as the heroine of a modern novel would say, 
standing over me. He yet bore around his neck 



406 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

a fragment of the rope with which I had tied him. 
He had gnawed it in two, and, following his master 
through all his windings, arrived in time to rescue 
him from a horrible death. 

" I have recovered from my wounds. Bravo is 
lying at my feet. Who does not love Bravo ? I am 
sure I do, and the rascal knows it — do n't you, 
Bravo ? Come here, sir ! " 



PERILOUS ESCAPE FROM DEATH. 

In the narrative of Moses Van Campen, we find 
the following incident related. He was taken pris- 
oner by the Seneca Indians, just after Sullivan's ex- 
pedition in the Revolution, on the confines of the 
white settlements in one of the border counties of 
Pennsylvania. He was marched through the wil- 
derness, and reached the headquarters of the sav- 
ages near Fort Niagara. Here he was recognized 
as having, a year or two previously, escaped, with 
two others, from his guard, five of whom he slew 
in their sleep with his own hand. 

On this discovery being made, the countenances 
of the savages grew dark and lowering. He saw 



BY LAND AND SEA. 409 

at once that his fate was to be decided on the 
principles of Indian vengeance, and, being bound, 
had but little hope of escape. He, however, put 
on the appearance of as much unconcern as possible. 
The Indians withdrew by themselves to decide in 
what manner they should despatch their unhappy 
victim. They soon returned, their visages covered 
with a demoniac expression. A few went to gath- 
ering wood; another selected a spot, and soon a 
fire was kindled. Van Campen looked upon these 
preparations, which were being made to burn him 
alive, with feelings wrought up to the highest pitch 
of ngony ; yet he, with much effort, appeared calm 
and collected. At last, when the preparations were 
completed, two Indians approached, and began to 
unloose the cords with which he was bound. To 
this he submitted. But the moment he was fully 
loosed, he dashed the two Indians aside — felling 
one upon the earth with a blow of his fist — and 
darted off toward the fort, where he hoped to re- 
ceive protection from the British officers. Toma- 
hawks gleamed in the air behind him — rifle balls 
whistled around — but onward still he flew. One 
unarmed Indian stood in his path and intercepted 
him. "With a giant spring, he struck him in the 
breast with his feet, and bore him to the earth. 

Recovering himself, he again started for the woods, 
18 



*, 



410 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and, as lie was running for life — with the fire and 
faggot behind him, and a lingering death of tor- 
ture — he soon outstripped all his pursuers. It 
being near night, he effected his escape, arrived at 
the fort, and was sent down the river to Montreal, 
to be out of the way of the savage Senecas, who 
thirsted for his blood as a recompense for that of 
their brethren whom he had slain. 



FIRE IN THE FOREST. 

"The summer of 1825 was unusually warm in 
both hemispheres, particularly in America, where its 
effects were fatally visible in the prevalence of epi- 
demical disorders. During July and August, ex- 
tensive fires raged in different parts of Nc* r a Scotin, 
especially in the eastern division of the peninsular. 
The protracted drought of the summer, acting upon 
the aridity of the forests, had rendered them more 
than naturally combustible ; and this, facilitating 
both the dispersion and the progress of the fires 
that appeared in the early part of the season, pro- 
duced an unusual warmth. On the 6th of Octo- 
ber, the fire was evidently approaching New Castle; 
"t different intervals fitful blazes and flashes were 



BY LAND AND SEA. 411 

observed to issue from different parts of the woods, 
particularly up the northwest, at the rear of New 
Castle, in the vicinity of Douglasstown and Moor- 
fields, and along the banks of the Bartibog. Many 
persons heard the crackling of falling trees and 
shriveled branches, while a hoarse rumbling noise, 
not dissimilar to the roaring of distant thunder, and 
divided by pauses, like the intermittent discharges 
of artillery, was distinct and audible. On the 7th 
of October, the heat increased to such a degree, and 
became so very oppressive, that many complained of 
its enervating effects. About twelve o'clock, a pale, 
sickly mist, lightly tinged with purple, emerged from 
the forest and settled over it. 

"This cloud soon retreated before a large,. dark 
one, which, occupying its place, wrapped the firma- 
ment in a pall of vapor. This incumbrance retaining 
its position till about three o'clock, the heat became 
tormentingly sultry. There was not a breath of 
air; the atmosphere was overloaded; and irresistible 
lassitude seized the people. A stupefying dullness 
seemed to pervade every place but the woods, which 
now trembled, and rustled, and shook with an inces- 
sant and thrilling noise of explosions, rapidly follow- 
ing each other, and mingling their reports with a 
discordant variety of loud and boisterous sounds. At 
this time, the whole country appeared to be encircled 



412 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

by a fiery zone, which, gradually contracting its cir- 
cle by the devastation it had made, seemed as if it 
would not converge into a point while any thing re- 
mained to be destroyed. A little after four o'clock, 
an immense pillar of smoke rose, in a vertical direc- 
tion, at some distance northeast of New Castle, for a 
while, and the sky was absolutely blackened by this 
huge cloud ; but a light, northerly breeze springing 
up, it gradually distended, and then dissipated into 
a variety of shapeless mists. About an hour after, or 
probably at half past five, innumerable large spires 
of smoke, issuing from different parts of the woods, 
and illuminated by flames that seemed to pierce 
them, mounted the sky. A heavy and suffocating 
canopy, extending to the utmost verge of observa- 
tion, and appearing more terrific by the vivid flashes 
and blazes that darted irregularly through it, now 
hung over New Castle and Douglass in threatening 
suspension, while showers of flaming brands, cal- 
cined leaves, ashes, and cinders, seemed to scream 
through the growling noise that prevailed in the 
woods. About nine o'clock, p. m., or shortly after, 
a succession of loud and appalling roars thundered 
through the forests. Peal after peal, crash after 
crash, announced the sentence of destruction. Ev- 
ery succeeding shock created fresh alarm ; every 
clap came loaded with its own destructive energy. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 413" 

With greedy rapidity did the flames advance to the 
devoted scene of their ministry ; nothing could im- 
pede their progress. They removed every obstacle 
by the desolation they occasioned, and several hun- 
dred miles of prostrate forests and smitten woods 
marked their devastating way. 

" The river, tortured into violence by the hurri- 
cane, foamed with rage, and flung its boiling spray 
upon the land. The thunder pealed along the vault 
of heaven — the lightning appeared to rend the fir- 
mament. For a moment all was still, and a deep 
and awful silence reigned over every thing. All 
nature appeared to be hushed, when suddenly a 
lengthened and sullen roar came booming through 
the forests, driving a thousand massive and devour- 
ing flames before it. Then New Castle and Doug- 
lasstown, and the whole northern side of the river, 
extending from Bartibog to the Naashwaak, a dis- 
tance of more than one hundred miles in length, 
became enveloped in an immense sheet of flame, 
that spread over nearly six thousand square miles ! 
That the reader may form a faint idea of the des- 
olation and misery, which no pen can describe, he 
must picture to himself a large and rapid river, 
thickly settled for one hundred miles or more on 
both sides of it. He must also fancy four thriving 
towns, two on each side of this river, and then 



414 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

reflect that these towns and settlements were all 
composed of wooden houses, stores, stables and 
barns; that these barns and stables were filled 
with crops, and that the arrival of the fall import- 
ations had stocked the warehouses and stores with 
spirits, powder, and a variety of cumbustible articles, 
as well as with the necessary supplies for the ap- 
proaching winter. He must then remember that 
the cultivated or settled part of the river is but a 
long, narrow strip, about a quarter of a mile wide, 
lying between the river and almost interminable 
forests, stretching along the very edge of its pre- 
cints and all around it. Extending his concep- 
tion, he will see the forests thickly expanding over 
more than six thousand square miles, and absolutely 
parched into tinder by the protracted heat of a long 
summer. 

" Let him then animate the picture, by scattering 
countless tribes of wild animals, and hundreds of 
domestic ones, and even thousands of men in the 
interior. Having done all this, he will have before 
him a feeble outline of the extent, features, and 
general circumstances of the country* which, in the 
course of a few hours, w T as suddenly enveloped in 
fire. A more ghastly or a more revolting picture 
of human misery can not well be imagined. The 
whole district of cultivated land was shrouded in 



BY LAND AND SEA. 415 

the agonizing memorials of some dreadful deforming 
havoc. The songs of gladness that formerly re- 
sounded through it were no longer heard, for the 
voice of misery had hushed them. Nothing broke 
upon the ear but the accents of distress ; the eye 
saw nothing but ruin, and desolation, and death. 
New Castle, yesterday a flourishing town, full of 
trade and spirit, and containing nearly one thou- 
sand inhabitants, was now a heap of smoking ruins ; 
and Douglasstown, nearly one-third of its size, was 
reduced to the same miserable condition. Of the 
two hundred and sixty houses and storehouses, that 
composed the former, but twelve remained ; and of 
the seventy that comprised the latter, but six were 
left. The confusion on board of one hundred and 
fifty large vessels, then lying in the Mirimachi, and 
exposed to imminent danger, was terrible — some 
burned to the water's edge, others burning, and the 
remainder occasionally on fire. 

"Dispersed groups of half-famished, half-naked, 
and houseless creatures, all more or less injured 
in their persons, many lamenting the loss of some 
property, or children, or relations and friends, were 
wandering through the country. Of the human 
bodies, some were seen with their bowels protrud- 
ing, others with the flesh all consumed, and the 
blackened skeletons smoking; some with headless 



416 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

trunks, and severed extremities ; some bodies were 
burned to cinders, others reduced to ashes ; many 
bloated and swollen by suffocation, and several lying 
in the last distorted position of convulsing torture ; 
brief and violent was their passage from life to death, 
and rude and melancholy was their sepulchre — f un- 
knelled, uncoffined, and unknown.' The immediate 
loss of life was upward of five hundred beings ! 
Thousands of wild beasts, too, had perished in the 
woods, and from their putrescent carcasses issued 
streams of effluvium and stench that formed conta- 
gious domes over the dismantled settlements. Do- 
mestic animals of all kinds lay dead and dying in 
different parts of the country. Myriads of salmon, 
trout, bass, and other fish, which, poisoned by the 
alkali formed by the ashes precipitated into the 
river, now lay dead or floundering and gasping on 
the scorched shores and beaches, and the countless 
variety of wild fowl and reptiles shared a similar 
fate. 

" Such was the violence of the hurricane, that 
large bodies of ignited timber, and portions of the 
trunks of trees, and severed limbs, and also parts of 
flaming buildings, shingles, boards, &c, were hurried 
along through the frowning heavens with terrible 
velocity, outstripping the fleetest horses, spreading 
destruction far in the advance, thus cutting off 






BY LAND AND SEA. 417 

retreat. The shrieks of the affrighted inhabitants, 
mingling with the discordant bellowing of cattle, 
the neighing of horses, the howling of dogs, and 
the strange notes of distress and fright from other 
domestic animals, strangely blending with the roar 
of the flames and the thunder of the tornado, beg- 
gars description. 

" Their only means of safety was the river, to 
which there was a simultaneous rush, seizing what- 
ever was buoyant, however inadequate ; many at- 
tempted to effect a crossing ; some succeeded ; others 
failed, and were drowned. One woman actually 
seized a bull by the tail, just as he plunged into the 
river, and was safely towed to the opposite shore. 
Those who were unable to make their escape across 
plunged .into the water to their necks, and, by a 
constant application of water to the head, while in 
this submerged condition, escaped a dreadful burn- 
ing. In some portions of the country, the cattle 
were nearly all destroyed. Whole crews of men, 
camping in the interior, and engaged in timber-mak- 
ing, were consumed. 

" Such was the awful conflagration of 1825,~on 
the Mirimachi." 



IS* 



418 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



PIRATES OF THE RED SEA. 

The commerce of the Red Sea has, almost from 
time immemorial, greatly suffered from the depreda- 
tions of Arab pirates, who infest the entire coasts. 
The exploits of one individual is dwelt upon by his 
late confreres with particular enthusiasm ; and his 
career and deeds were of so extraordinary a charac- 
ter, that we feel justified in giving the following brief 
detail of them, as furnished by an English traveler : 

This dreadful man, Ramah ibn Java, the leau 
ideal of his order, the personation of an Arab sea 
robber, was a native of a small village near Jiddah. 
At an early period he commenced a mode of life 
congenial to his disposition and nature. Purchasing 
a boat, he, with a band of about twelve companions, 
commenced his career as a pirate, and in the course 
of a few months he had been so successful that 
he became the owner of a vessel of three hundred 
tons, and manned with a lawless crew. It was a 
part of his system to leave British vessels unmolest- 
ed, and he even affected to be on good terms with 
them. We have heard an old officer describe his 



BY LAND AND SEA. 419 

appearance. He was then about forty-five years of 
age, short in stature, but with a figure compact and 
square, a constitution vigorous, and the characteristic 
qualities of his countrymen — frugality, and patience 
of fatigue. Several scars already seamed his face^ 
and the bone of his arm had been shattered by a 
matchlock ball when boarding a vessel. It is a re- 
markable fact that the intermediate bones sloughed 
away, and the arm, connected only by flesh and 
muscle, was still, by means of a silver tube affixed 
around it, capable of exertion. 

Rainah was born to be the leader of the wild 
spirits around him. With a sternness of purpose 
that awed those who were near him into a degree 
of dread, which totally astonished those who had 
been accustomed to view the terms of equality in 
which the Arab chiefs appear with their followers, 
he exacted the most implicit obedience to his will ; 
and the manner in which he acted toward his son 
exhibits the length he was disposed to go with those 
who thwarted, or did not act up to, the spirit of his 
views. The young man, then a mere stripling, had 
been dispatched to attack some boats, but he was 
unsuccessful. " This, dastard, and son of a dog ! " 
said the enraged father, who had been watching the 
progress of the affair, "you return unharmed to tell 
me ! Fling him over the side ! " The chief was 



420 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

obeyed ; and but for a boat, which by some chance 
was passing some miles astern, he would have been 
drowned. Of his existence the father for many 
months was wholly unconscious, and how he was 
reconciled we never heard ; but during the interval 
he was never known to utter his name. No cause, 
it appears, existed for a repetition of the punishment; 
for while yet a youth, he met the death his father 
would have most coveted for him. He fell at the 
head of a party that w T as bravely storming a fort. 

Many other acts of cruelty are related of him. 
Having seized a small trading boat, he plundered 
her, and then fastened the crew — five in number — 
round the anchor, suspended it from the bows, cut 
the cable, and let the anchor, with its living burden, 
sink to the bottom. He once attacked a small town 
on the Persian Gulf. In this town lived one Abder 
Russel, a personal friend of the narrator, who related 
the visit of the pirates to his dwelling. Seized with 
a violent illness, he was stretched on a pallet spread 
on a floor of his apartment ; his wife, to w r hom he 
was devotedly attached, was attending him, his head 
placed in her lap. A violent noise arose below — 
the door was heavily assailed — - it yielded — a sharp 
conflict took place — shouting and a rushing on the 
stair-case was heard, and the pirates were in the 
apartment. " I read their purpose," said Abder to 



BY LAND AND SEA. 421 

me, "in their looks; but I was bed-ridden, and 
could not raise a finger to save her for whose life I 
would gladly have forfeited my own. Ramah, the 
pirate captain, approached her. Entreaties for life 
were unavailing; yet for an instant her extreme 
beauty arrested Ins arm, but it was only for an in- 
stant. His dagger again gleamed on high, and she 
sank a bleeding victim beside me. Cold and appa- 
rently inanimate as I was, I nevertheless felt her 
warm blood flowing past me, and with her life it 
ebbed rapidly away. My eyes must have been fixed 
with the vacant look of death : I even felt unmoved 
as he bent down beside me, and, with spider-like 
fingers, stripped the jewels from my hand — the 
touch of that villain who had deprived me of all 
which in life I valued. At length, a happy insensi- 
bility stole over me. How long I remained in this 
condition I know not; but when I recovered my 
senses, fever had left me — cool blood again trav- 
ersed my veins. Beside me was a faithful slave, 
who was engaged bathing my temples. He had 
escaped the slaughter by secreting himself while 
the murderers remained in the house." 

Ramah, although a man of few words with his 
crew, was nevertheless very communicative to our 
officers, whenever he fell in with them. According 
to his own account, he managed them by never 



422 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

permitting any familiarities, nor communicating his 
plans, and by an impartial distribution of plunder ; 
but the grand secret, he knew full well, was in his 
utter contempt of danger, and that terrible, untaught 
eloquence, at the hour of need, where time is brief, 
and sentences must be condensed into words, which 
marked his career. Success crowned all his exploits ; 
he made war, and levied contributions on whom he 
pleased. Several times he kept important sea-port 
towns in a state of blockade, and his appearance 
was every where feared and dreaded. 

He took possession of a small sandy islet, not 
many miles from his native place, where he built a 
fort, and would occasionally sally forth, and plunder 
and annoy any vessel that he met with. Although 
now perfectly blind and wounded in almost every 
part of his body, yet such was the dread inspired by 
the energy of this old chief, that, for a long time, no 
one could be found willing to attack the single ves- 
sel which he possessed. At length, a sheik, bolder 
than his neighbors, proceeded in three heavy boats 
to attack Ramah. The followers of the latter, too 
well trained to feel or express alarm, save that 
which arose from affection for their chief, painted 
in strong terms the overwhelming superiority of 
the approaching force, and counseled his bearing 
away from them; but he spurned the idea. The 



BY LAND AND SEA. 425 

evening drew near, and closed upon him. After a 
severe contest they gained the deck. An instant 
after, dead and dying, the victor and the vanquished, 
were given to the wind. Ramah, with a spirit in 
accordance with the tenor of his whole career, find- 
ing the day was going against him, was led hy a 
little boy to the magazine, and then, it is supposed, 
applied the pipe he had been smoking during the 
action to the powder. Such, to his life, was the 
fitting end of the pirate chief. 



GEN. JACKSON AND WEATHERFORD. 

After the battle of Tallapoosa, General Jackson 
returned with his victorious army to Fort Williams ; 
but, determined to give his enemy no opportunity 
of retrieving the misfortune that had befallen him, 
he recommenced operations immediately afterward. 
On the 7th of April, 1814, he again set out for 
Tallapoosa, with the view of forming a junction with 
the Georgia troops under Colonel Milton, and com- 
pleting the subjugation of the country. On the 
14th of that month, the union of the two armies 
was effected, and both bodies moved to a place 
called the Hickory Ground, where, it was expected, 



426 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

the last final stand would be made by the Indians, 
or terms of submission would be agreed on. The 
principal chiefs of the different tribes had assembled 
here, and, on the approach of the army, sent a dep- 
utation to treat for peace. Among them was Weath- 
erford, celebrated equally for his talents and cruelty, 
who had directed the massacre at Fort Minims. It 
had been the intention of General Jackson, to inflict 
a signal punishment upon him, if ever in his power. 
Struck, however, with the bold and nervous elo- 
quence of this fearless savage, and persuaded of the 
sincerity of his wishes for peace, he dismissed him 
without injury. Some of the speeches of this war- 
rior have been preserved, and exhibit a beautiful 
specimen of the melancholy but manly tone of a 
savage hero, lamenting the misfortunes of his race. 
Addressing General Jackson, he said, (i I am in your 
power — do with me as you please. I am a soldier. 
I have clone the white people all the harm I could ; 
I have fought them, and fought them bravely. 
There was a time when I had a choice, and could 
have answered you : I have none now, — even hope 
is ended. Once I could animate my warriors ; but 
I can not animate the dead. My warriors can no 
longer hear my voice ; their bones are at Talladega, 
Tallushatchee, Emuckfaw, and Tohopeka. While 
there was a chance of success, I never left my post, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 427 

nor supplicated peace. But my people are gone ; 
and I now ask it for my nation and myself." He 
shortly afterward became the instrument of restor- 
ing peace, which was concluded by the total submis- 
sion of the Indians. They agreed to retire in the 
rear of the army, and occupy the country to the 
east of the Coosa ; while a line of American posts 
was established from Tennessee and Georgia, to the 
Alabama, and the power and resources of these 
tribes were thus effectually destroyed. 



CRUISE OF THE SALDANHA AND TALBOT. 

At midnight of Saturday, the 30th of Novem- 
ber, 1811, with a fair wind and a smooth sea, we 
weighed from our station, in company with the 
Saldanha frigate, of thirty-eight guns, Captain Pack- 
enham, with a crew of three hundred men, on a 
cruise, as was intended, of twenty days — the Sal- 
danha taking a westerly course, while we stood in 
the opposite direction. 

We had scarcely got out of the lock and cleared 
the heads, however, when we plunged at once into 
all the miseries of a gale of wind blowing from the 
west. During the three following days, it continued 



428 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

to increase in violence, when the islands of # Coll and 
Tiree became visible to us. As the wind had now 
chopped round more to the north, and continued 
unabated in violence, the danger of getting involved 
among the numerous small islands and rugged head- 
lands, on the northwest coast of Inverness-shire, 
became evident. It was therefore deemed expedi- 
ent to wear the ship round, and make a port with 
all expedition. With this view, and favored by the 
wind, a course was shaped for Lochswilly, and away 
we scudded under close-reefed foresail and main-top- 
sail, followed by a tremendous sea, which threatened 
every moment to overwhelm us, and accompanied by 
piercing showers of hail, and a gale which blew with 
incredible fury. The same course was steered until 
next day about noon, when land was seen on the lee- 
bow. The weather being thick, some time elapsed 
before it could be distinctly made out, and it was 
then ascertained to be the island of North Arran, on 
the coast of Donegal, westward of Lochswilly. The 
ship was therefore hauled up some points, and we 
yet entertained hopes of reaching an anchorage be- 
fore nightfall, when the weather gradually thickened, 
and the sea, now that we were upon the wind, broke 
over us in all directions. Its violence was such, that 
in a few minutes several of our ports were stove in, 
at which the water poured in in great abundance, 






BY LAND AND SEA. 429 

until it was actually breast high on the lee-side of 
the main deck. Fortunately, but little got below, 
and the ship was relieved by taking in the foresail. 
But a dreadfal addition was now made to the pre- 
cariousness of our situation, by the cry of " land 
a-head ! " which was seen from the forecastle, and 
must have been very near. Not a moment was now 
lost in wearing the ship round on the other tack, and 
making what little sail could be carried, to weather 
the land we had already passed. This soon proved, 
however, to be a forlorn prospect, for it was found 
that we should run our distance by ten o'clock. All 
the horrors of shipwreck now stared us in the face, 
aggravated tenfold by the darkness of the night, 
and the tremendous force of the wind, which now 
blew a hurricane. Mountains are insignificant when 
speaking of the sea that kept pace with it ; its vio- 
lence was awful beyond description, and it frequently 
broke over all the poor little ship, that shivered and 
groaned, but behaved admirably. 

The force of the sea may be . guessed from the 
fact .of the sheet-anchor, nearly a ton and a half in 
weight, being actually lifted on board, to say noth- 
ing of the forechain-plates' board broken, both gang- 
ways torn away, quarter-galleries stove in, &c. In 
short, on getting into port, the vessel was found to 
be loosened through all her frame, and leaking at 



430 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

every seam. As far as depended on her good quali- 
ties, however, I felt assured at the time, we were 
safe, for I had seen enough of the Talbot to be con- 
vinced we were in one of the finest sea-boats that 
ever swam. But what could all the skill of the 
ship-builder avail in a situation like ours ? With 
a night full fifteen hours long before us, and know- 
ing that we were fast driving on the land, anxiety 
and dread were on every face, and every mind felt 
the terrors of uncertainty and suspense. At length, 
about twelve o'clock, the dreadful truth was dis- 
closed to us ! 

Judge of my sensation when I saw the frowning 
rocks of Arran, scarcely half a mile distant on our lee- 
bow. To our inexpressible relief, and not less to our 
surprise, we fairly weathered all, and were congratu- 
lating each other on our escape, when, on looking 
forward, I imagined I saw breakers at no great dis- 
tance on our lee ; and this suspicion was soon con- 
firmed, when the moon, which shone at intervals, 
suddenly broke out from behind a cloud, and pre- 
sented to us a most terrific spectacle. At not more 
than a quarter of a mile's distance on our lee-beam, 
appeared a range of tremendous breakers, among 
which it seemed as if every sea would throw us. 
Their height, it may be guessed, was prodigious, 
when they could be clearly distinguished from the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 431 

foaming waters of the surrounded ocean. It was a 
scene seldom to be witnessed, and never forgotten ! 
"Lord have mercy upon us!" was now on the lip of 
everyone — destruction seemed inevitable. Captain 
Swaine, whose coolness I have never seen surpassed, 
issued his orders clearly and collectedly, when it was 
proposed, as a last resource, to drop the anchors, cut 
away the masts, and trust to the chance of riding 
out the gale. This scheme was actually determined 
on, and every thing was in readiness, but happily 
was deferred until an experiment was tried aloft. 
"In addition to the close-reefed main-topsail and 
foresail, the fore-topsail, and trysail were now set, 
and the result was almost magical. With a few 
plunges, we cleared not only the reef, but a huge 
rock upon which I could with ease have tossed a 
biscuit, and in a few minutes we were inexpressi- 
bly rejoiced to see both far astern. 

We had now miraculously escaped all but certain 
destruction a second time, but much was yet to be 
feared. We had still to pass Cape Jeller, and the 
moments dragged on in gloomy apprehension and 
anxious suspense. The ship carried sail most won- 
derfully, and we continued to go along at the rate 
of seven knots, shipping very heavy seas, and labor- 
ing much — all with much solicitude looking out for 
daylight. The dawn at length appeared, and to our 



432 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

great joy we saw the land several miles astern, 
having passed the Cape and many other hidden 
dangers during the darkness. 

Matters, on the morning of the 5th, assumed a 
very different aspect from that which we had expe- 
rienced for the last two days ; the wind gradually 
subsided, and, with it the sea, and a favorable breeze 
now springing up, we were enabled to make a good 
offing. Fortunately, no accident of consequence 
occurred, although several of our people were se- 
verely bruised by falls. Poor fellows ! they cer- 
tainly suffered enough ; not a dry stitch, not a dry 
hammock have they had since we sailed. Happily, 
however, their misfortunes are soon forgot in a dry 
shirt and a can of grog. 

The most melancholy part of the narrative is still 
to be told. On coming up to our anchorage, we ob- 
served an unusual degree of curiosity and bustle in 
the fort; crowds of people were congregated on both 
sides, running to and fro, examining us through spy- 
glasses ; in short, an extraordinary commotion was 
apparent. The meaning of all this was but too soon 
made known to us by a boat coming alongside, from 
which we learned that the unfortunate Saldanha had 
gone to pieces, and every man perished ! Our own 
destruction had likewise been reckoned inevitable, 
from the time of the 'discovery of the unhappy fate 



BY LAND AND SEA. 433 

of our consort, five days beforehand ; and hence the 
astonishment at our unexpected return.' From all 
that could be learned concerning the dreadful catas- 
trophe, I am inclined to believe that the Saldanha 
had been driven on the rocks about the time our 
doom appeared so certain in another quarter. Her 
lights were seen by the signal-tower at nine o'clock 
of that fearful Wednesday night, December 4th, af- 
ter which it is supposed she went ashore on the 
rocks at a small bay called Ballymastaker, almost 
at the entrance of Lochswilly harbor. 

Next morning the beach was strewed with frag- 
ments of the wreck, and upward of two hundred of 
the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers were washed 
ashore. One man — and one only — out of the three 
hundred, was ascertained to have come ashore alive, 
but almost in a state of insensibility. Unhappily, 
there was no person present to administer to his 
wants judiciously, and, upon craving something to 
drink, about half a pint of whiskey was given him 
by the people, which almost instantly killed him ! 
Poor Packenham's body was recognized amid the 
others, and like these, stripped quite naked by 
the inhuman wretches, who flocked to the wreck 
as to a blessing ! It is even suspected that he 
came on shore alive, but was stripped and left to 

perish. Nothing could equal the audacity of the 
19 . 



434 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

plunderers, although a party of the Lanark militia 
was doing duty around the wreck. But this is an 
ungracious and revolting subject, which no one of 
proper feeling would wish to dwell upon. Still less 
am I inclined to describe the heart-rending scene at 
Buncrana, where the widows of many of the suffer- 
ers are residing. The surgeon's wife, a native of 
Halifax, has never spoken since the dreadful tidings- 
arrived. Consolation is inadmissible, and no one 
has yet ventured to offer it. 



A CARIB'S REVENGE. 

In a work recently published in London, by 
Captain Millman, are to be found some of the most 
thrilling scenes, from life in the tropics, it has ever 
been our fortune to meet with. The following 
account of a Carib's revenge on a sea captain, 
named Jack Diver, on one of the narrow mountain 
paths of Guadaloupe, is exceedingly graphic and 
forcible : 

While he was making up his mind, a dark figure 
had stolen unperceived close behind him, with a 
small basket in his hand of split reeds, out of which 
came a low buzzing, murmuring sound. He lay 



BY LAND AND SEA. 



435 



down quietly across the path, at the point of the 
first angle of the elbow of the mountain spur, not 
many feet from the hind legs of the horse. Jack 
Diver with a scowling look, turned his horse round 
with some difficulty. It plunged and reared slight- 
ly, but went on. Occupied with retaining his seat, 
the master of the transport scarcely perceived the 
figure lying in the path. He could not see who it 
was, for the face of the man was toward the ground. 
But the horse saw it at once. The animal, accus- 
tomed to mountain roads from its birth, had often 
stepped over both men and animals which are some- 
times forced in the narrowest parts to lie down to 
let the heavier and stronger pass, in that highly 
dangerous and disagreeable method, lifted his feet 
cautiously, one by one, so as not to tread on the 
prostrate figure. As the horse was above him, the 
man lifted with one hand the lid of the basket, 
and a swarm of wasps flew suddenly out, buzzing 
and humming fiercely, and in a moment they began 
to settle on the moving object. The horse com- 
menced switching his tail to drive them away, 
pricking up his ears, and snorting with terror. 

The man on the path lay quite still until they 
had thus moved on a few yards, and then he raised 
his head a little, and watched them with his keen 
black eyes. The wasps, driven off for a moment, 



436 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

became only the more irritated, and returned with 
vigor and wonderful pertinacity to the attack, — 
beginning to sting the poor animal furiously in all 
the tender parts. They assailed the wretched mas- 
ter in his turn, darting their venomed barbs into 
his face and hands, and driving him nearly frantic. 
The horse plunged furiously, and Jack Diver, los- 
ing his stirrups and his presence of mind together, 
twisted his hands into the horse's mane, to keep his 
seat, letting the reins fall on his neck. At last, 
with a rear and a bound ' into the air, the maddened 
animal darted off at a gallop; but the faster he 
went, the closer stuck the persevering wasps. Jack 
Diver shut his eyes, screaming with fear and pain. 
Then the Carib chief rose up, and again the hawk- 
like scream echoed along the valley. The turn is 
to be made — can the horse recover himself? Yes, 
maddened as he is, he sees the danger instinctively. 
His speed slackens — he throws himself on his 
haunches, with his fore feet on the very brink of 
the precipice. One more chance ! The blind, 
infatuated man remains on his back. Again the 
horse feels the stings of his deadly persecutors; 
again he plunges forward, striving to turn quickly 
round the corner. Round, and he is in comparative 
safety. On a sudden, from behind a buttress of 
projecting rock, there start across the path three 



BY LAND AND SEA. 439 

dusky forms, flinging their hands wildly in the air. 
Then was heard that rare and awful sound, the 
shriek of a horse in the fear of a certain and coming 
death ; when swerving one side, he lost his footing 
on the slippery shelf, and struggling madly, but un- 
successfully, to recover it, he fell over and over — 
down — down — a thousand feet down ! From the 
sailor's lips there came no cry. 



MASSACRE OF FORT MIMMS. 

On the 30th of August, 1813, Fort Mimms, 
which contained one hundred and fifty men, under 
the command of Major Beasely, besides a number 
of women and children, was surprised by a party 
of Indians. The houses were set on fire, and those 
who escaped the flames fell victims to the toma- 
hawk. Neither age nor sex was spared ; and the 
most horrible cruelties, of which the imagination 
can conceive, were perpetrated. Out of the three 
hundred persons which the fort contained, only sev- 
enteen escaped to carry the dreadful intelligence to 
the neighboring stations. 



440 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

This sanguinary and unprovoked massacre ex- 
cited universal horror, and the desire of revenge. 
The state of Tennessee immediately took active 
measures for punishing the aggressors. General 
Jackson was ordered to draft two thousand of the 
militia and volunteers of his division ; and General 
Coffee was directed to proceed with five hundred 
mounted men to the frontier of the state. The 
former, having collected a part of his force, joined 
General Coffee on the 12th of October, at Ditto's 
landing, on the Tennessee. They then marched to 
the Ten Islands, in the same river. A few days 
afterward, General Coffee was detached with nine 
hundred men to attack a body of the enemy, posted 
at Tallushatchee. He arrived early in the morning 
within a short distance of it, and, dividing his force 
into two columns, completely surrounded it. The 
Indians, for a long time, made a desperate resist- 
ance, and did all that was possible for men to do 
who were in their situation. But they were finally 
overpowered, with the loss of one hundred and 
eighty-six men. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 441 



THE FRESHET. 

The freshet at Bangor, Me., in the spring of 
1846, is thus described in "Forest Life and Forest 
Trees : " 

" The first injury to the city was from the break- 
ing away of a small section of the jam, which came 
down and pressed against the ice on our banks. By 
this, twenty houses in one immediate neighborhood, 
on the west bank of the river alone, were at once 
inundated, but without loss of life. This occurred in 
the daytime, and presented a scene of magnificent 
interest. The effect of this small concussion upon 
the ice near the city was terrific. The water rose 
instantly to such a height as to sweep the buildings 
and lumber from the ends of the wharves, and to 
throw up the ice in huge sheets and pyramids. 
This shock was resisted by the great covered bridge 
on the Penobscot, which is about one thousand feet 
in length, and this gave time to save much property. 
But meanwhile another auxiliary to the fearful work 
had been preparing, by the breaking up of the ice 

in the Kenduskeag river. This river flows through 
19* 



442 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

the heart of the city, dividing it into two equal por- 
tions. The whole flat, on the margin of the river, is 
covered with stores and public buildings, and is the 
place of merchandise for the city. The Kenduskeag 
runs nearly at right angles with the Penobscot, at 
the point where they unite. The Penobscot skirts 
the city on the eastern side, and on the banks of 
this river are the principal wharves for the deposit 
of lumber. 

" I must mention another circumstance to give 
you a just idea of our situation. There is a narrow 
spot in the river, about a mile below the city, at 
High Head, in which is a shoal, and from which the 
greatest danger of a jam always arises, and it was 
this that caused the principal inundation. 

" The next incident occurred at midnight, when 
the bells were rung to announce the giving way of 
the ice. It was a fearful sound and scene. The 
streets were thronged with men, women, and chil- 
dren, who rushed abroad to witness the approach 
of the icy avalanche. At length it came rushing 
on with a power that a thousand locomotives in a 
body could not vie with ; but it was vailed from 
the eye by the darkness of a hazy night, and the 
ear only could trace its progress by the sounds of 
crashing buildings, lumber, and whatever it encoun- 
tered in its pathway, except the glimpses that could 



BY LAND AND SEA. 443 

be caught of it by the light of hundreds of torches 
and lanterns that threw their glare upon the misty 
atmosphere. The jam passed on, and a portion of 
it pressed through the weakest portion of the great 
bridge, and thus, joining the ice below the bridge, 
pressed it down to the narrows at High Head. The 
destruction, meanwhile, was in progress on the Ken- 
duskeag, which poured down its tributary ice, sweep- 
ing mills, bridges, shops, and other buildings, with 
masses of logs and lumber, to add to the common 
wreck. 

"At that moment, the anxiety and suspense were 
fearful whether the jam would force its way through 
the narrows, or there stop and pour back a flood of 
waters upon the city ; for it was from the rise of 
the water consequent upon such a jam that the 
great. destruction was to be apprehended. But the 
suspense was soon over. A cry was heard from the 
dense mass of citizens who crowded the streets on 
the flat, " The river is flowing back ! " and so sud- 
den was the revulsion, that it required the utmost 
speed to escape the rising waters. It seemed but 
a moment before the entire flat was deluged ; and 
many men did not escape from their stores before 
the water was up to their waists. Had you wit- 
nessed the scene, occurring as it did in the midst 
of a dark and hazy night, and had you heard the 



444 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

rushing of the waters, and the crash of the ruins, 
and seen the multitudes retreating in a mass from 
the returning flood, illumined only by the glare of 
torches and lanterns, and listened to the shouts and 
cries that escaped from them to give the alarm to 
those beyond, you would not be surprised at my 
being reminded of the host of Pharaoh as they fled 
and sent up their cry from the Red - Sea, as it re- 
turned upon them in its strength. 

t{ The closing scene of this dreadful disaster oc- 
curred on Sunday evening, beginning at about seven 
o'clock. The alarm was again rung through the 
streets that the jam had given way. The citizens 
again rushed abroad to witness what they knew 
must be one of the most sublime and awful scenes 
of nature, and also to learn the full extent of their 
calamity. Few, however, were able to catch a sight 
of the breaking up of the jam, which, for magni- 
tude, it is certain, has not occurred on this river for 
more than one hundred years. The whole river was 
like a boiling cauldron, with masses of ice upheaved 
as by a volcano. But soon the darkness shrouded 
the scene in part. The ear, however, could hear the 
roaring of the waters and the crash of buildings, 
bridges, and lumber, and the eye could trace the 
mammoth ice-jam of four miles long, which passed 
on majestically, but with lightning rapidity, bearing 



BY LAND AND SEA. 445 

the contents of both rivers on its bosom. The noble 
covered bridge of the Penobscot, two bridges of the 
Kenduskeag, and the two long ranges of saw-mills, 
besides other mills, houses, shops, logs, and lumber 
enough to build up a considerable village. The 
new market floated over the lower bridge across the 
Kenduskeag, a part of which remains, and, most 
happily, landed at a point of the wharves, where it 
sunk, and formed the nucleus of a sort of boom, 
which stopped the masses of floating lumber in the 
Kenduskeag, and protected thousands of dollars' 
worth of lumber on the wharves below." 



THE PANTHER'S DEN. 

The occupants of a few log cabins in the vicinity 
of the Bayou Manlatte, a tributary of the noble 
Bay of Pensacola, situated in the western part of 
the then territory of Florida, had been for some 
weeks annoyed by the mysterious disappearance of 
the cattle and goats, which constituted almost the 
only wealth of these rude countrymen; and the 
belated herdsman was frequently startled by the 
terrible half human cry of the dreaded panther, and 
the next morning, some one of the squatters would 



446 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

find himself minus of a number of cloven feet. 
About this time I happened into the settlement on 
a hunting excursion, in company with another son 
of Nimrod, and learning the state of affairs., resolved, 
if possible, to rid the " clearing " of its pest, and 
bind new laurels on our brows. The night before 
our arrival, a heifer had been killed within a few 
rods of the cabin, and the carcass dragged off to- 
ward the swamp, some two miles distant, leaving a 
broad trail to mark the destroyer's path ; this being 
pointed out to us, Ned and myself resolved to exe- 
cute our enterprise without delay — this was to 
"beard the lion in his den." Having carefully 
charged our rifles and pistols, and seen that our 
bowies were as keen as razors, we set out on the 
trail, which soon brought us to the edge of the 
Bayou Manlatte swamp — which covers a surface of 
some thousands of acres, being a dense muddy ham- 
mock of teti, bay, magnolia, cane, grape vines, &c. 
A perpetual twilight reigned beneath the dense foli- 
age supported by the rank soil, and our hearts beat 
a few more pulsations to the minute, as we left the 
scorching glare of the noon day sun, and plunged 
into the gloomy fastnesses of the bear and alligator; 
to these latter gentlemen, whose clumsy forms were 
sprawling through the mud on every side, we gave 
no further heed other than to keep without the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 447 

range of the deadly sweep of their powerful tails, 
with which they bring their unsuspecting prey 
within reach of their saw-like jaws ; the bears we 
did not happen to meet, or we should most assur- 
edly have given them some of the balls designed 

for the panthers. 

Well, we followed the trail half a mile into the 

swamp, when on an elevated spot, we suddenly en- 
countered the half-devoured body of the unfortunate 
heifer, apparently just deserted by the captors. We 
cautiously advanced a few paces further over a pave- 
ment of bones, "clean scraped and meatless," and 
entered an open space, when a sight met my eyes 
which certainly made me wish myself safe at home, 
or in fact, anywhere else but where I was. About 
twenty-five feet from us we saw, instead of one, an 
old she-panther and two cubs nearly grown, while 
directly over them, on the blasted and sloping trunk 
of an immense gum-tree, crouched the " old he one 
of all," lashing his sides fiercely with his tail, and 
snorting and spitting like an enraged cat, an example 
which was imitated by the three below. Here was 
a dilemma, on the particularly sharp horns of which 
we found ourselves most uncomfortably situated. 
To retreat would induce an immediate attack, the 
consequence of an advance would be ditto ; so 
we stood en tableaux, for a brief second, our guns 



448 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

cocked and aimed, Ned drawing a bead on the dam, 
while I did the same on the sire. It seemed mad- 
ness to fire. We were not long uncertain as to our 
course, for the old fellow suddenly bounded from the 
trunk upon me, with a deafening roar. I fired as he 
sprang, and the report of my piece was re-echoed 
by that of Ned's. I sprang aside, dropping my rifle 
and drawing my long and heavy knife ; it was well 
I did so, for the mortally-wounded beast alighted on 
the very spot I had left. He turned and sprang 
upon me. I avoided the blow of its powerful paw, 
and grappling with him I rolled on the turf, winding 
my right arm tight around his neck, and hugging 
close to his body to avoid his teeth and claws, while 
I dealt rapid thrusts with my knife. I was very 
powerful; but never was in a situation where I felt 
more sensibly the need of exerting all my muscle. 
The contest was soon decided — my knife passing 
through the brute's heart — 

" And panting from the dreadful close, 
And breathless all, the champion rose." 

And it was full time that I should do so, for Ned, 
having put a ball through the head of the dam, was 
now manfully battling with her two cubs ; the poor 
fellow was sore pressed, streaming with blood from 
numberless scratches, and almost in a state of na- 
ture, for the snarp claws of the cubs had literally 



BY LAND AND SEA. 449 

undressed him by piecemeal. His savage assailants 
also, bore upon their bloody hides numerous tokens 
of his prowess in wielding his bowie. 

Their system of attack seemed to be to spring 
suddenly upon him, striking with their paws, and as 
they did so, in most instances, simultaneously, it was 
impossible for him to defend himself, strong and ac- 
tive as he was ; and had no assistance been at hand, 
they would undoubtedly have gained the victory. 
It was a brave sight though, to see the tall, strong 
hunter, meeting their attacks undauntedly, standing 
with his left arm raised to defend his head and 
throat, and darting his knife into their tough bodies 
as he threw them from him, but to meet the next 
moment their renewed efforts for his destruction. 

All this I caught at one glance, as I rushed to his 
rescue. " Ned ! " shouted I, mad and reckless with 
excitement, " take the one on your left ! " And we 
threw ourselves upon them. I met my antagonist 
in his onward leap, and making a desperate blow at 
him, my wrist struck his paw, and the knife flew 
far from my hand. There was nothing else for 
me but to seize him by the loose skin of the neck 
with both hands, and hold on like " grim death," 
keeping him at arm's length, while his paws beat 
a tattoo to a double quick time on my breast and 
body, stripping my garments into ribbons in a most 



450 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

workmanlike mariner, and ornamenting my sensitive 
skin with a variety of lines and characters, done in 
red — a process which I did not care to prolong, 
however, beyond a period when I could soonest put 
a stop to the operation. 

As I was debating how to attain so desirable an 
end, the remembrance of the small rifle pistol, in my 
belt, and which, till now, in the hurry of the conflict 
I had forgotten, suddenly flashed upon my mind, 
and, disengaging one hand, I drew it forth, cocked 
it with my thumb, and the next moment the pan- 
ther's brains were spattered in my face. 

I turned to look for Ned, and found him trying 
to free himself from the dead body of the panther, 
whose teeth were fastened, in their death grip, to 
the small remnant of his hunting coat which hung 
around his neck ; I separated the strip of cloth with 
my recovered knife, and we sank panting to the 
ground, while our hearts went up in thankfulness 
for deliverance from so imminent danger to life and 
limb. After resting awhile, we washed the blood — 
our blood — from our bodies, and decorating them 
with " what was left," somewhat after the fashion of 
the Indian who wears only a "breech clout," we 
took the scalps of the four panthers, and started on 
our homeward march. Our success was speedily 
known in the clearing, and in the evening a barbacue 



BY LAND AND SEA. 451 

was had in our honor, to furnish which a rela- 
tion of the unfortunate heifer met with a fate 
scarcely less terrible. This exploit added not a 
little to our reputation among the hunter folk. 



ADVENTURE WITH ELEPHANTS. 

On the 27th, as day dawned, says Mr. Cumming, 
I left my shooting-hole, and proceeded to inspect 
the spoor of my wounded rhinoceros. After follow- 
ing it for some distance I came to an abrupt hillock, 
and fancying that from the summit a good view 
might be obtained of the surrounding country, I left 
my followers to seek the spoor, while I ascended. 
I did not raise my eyes from the ground until I 
had reached the highest pinnacle of rock. I then 
looked east, and to my inexpressible gratification, 
beheld a troup of nine or ten elephants quietly brows- 
ing within a quarter of a mile of me. I allowed 
myself only one glance at them, and then rushed 
down to warn my followers to be silent. A coun- 
cil of war was hastily held, the result of which 
was my ordering Isaac to ride hard to camp, with 
instructions to return as quickly as possible, accom- 
panied by Kleinboy, and to bring me my dogs, the 



452 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

large Dutch rifle, and a fresh horse. I once more 
ascended the hillock to feast my eyes upon the 
enchanting sight before me, and, drawing out my 
spy-glass, narrowly watched the motions of the ele- 
phants. The herd consisted entirely of females, 
several of which were followed by small calves. 

Presently, on reconnoitering the surrounding coun- 
try, I discovered a second herd, consisting of five 
bull elephants, which were quietly feeding about a 
mile to the northward. The cows were feeding 
toward a rocky ridge that stretched away from the 
base of the hillock on which I stood. Burning 
with impatience to commence the attack, I resolved 
to try the stalking system with these, and to hunt 
the troop of bulls with dogs and horses. Having 
thus decided, I directed the guides to w^atch the 
elephants from the summit of the hillock, and with a 
beating heart I approached them. The ground and 
wind favoring me, I soon gained the rocky ridge 
toward which they were feeding. They were now 
within one hundred yards, and I resolved to enjoy 
the pleasure of watching their movements for a lit- 
tle before I fired. They continued to feed slowly 
toward me, breaking the branches from the trees 
with their trunks, and eating the leaves and tender 
shoots. I soon selected the finest in the herd, and 
kept my eye on her in particular. At length two 



BY LAND AND SEA. 453 

of the troup had walked slowly past at about sixty 
yards, and the one which I had selected was feed- 
ing with two others, on a thorny tree before me. 

My hand was now as steady as the rock on 
which it rested ; so, taking a deliberate aim, I let 
fly at her head, a little behind the eye. She got it 
hard and sharp, just where I aimed, but it did not 
seem to affect her much. Uttering a loud cry, she 
wheeled about, when I gave her the second ball 
close behind the shoulder. All the elephants utter- 
ed a strange rumbling noise, and made off in a line 
to the northward at a brisk ambling pace, their 
huge, fan-like ears . flapping in the ratio of their 
speed. I did not wait to load, but ran back to the 
hillock to obtain a view. On gaining its summit, 
the guides pointed out the elephants : they were 
standing in a grove of shady trees, but the wound- 
ed one was some distance behind with another 
elephant, doubtless its particular friend, who was 
endeavoring to assist it. These elephants had prob- 
ably never before heard the report of a gun, and, 
having neither seen nor smelt me, they were una- 
ware of the presence of man, and did not seem 
inclined to go any further. Presently my men 
hove in sight, bringing the dogs ; and when these 
came up, I waited some time before commencing 
the attack, that the dogs and horses might recover 



454 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

their wind. We then rode slowly toward the ele- 
phants, and had advanced within two hundred yards 
of them when, the ground being open, they ob- 
served us and made off in an easterly direction ; 
but the wounded one immediately dropped astern, 
and the next moment was surrounded by the dogs, 
which, barking angrily, seemed to engross all her 
attention. 

Having placed myself between her and the re- 
treating troop, I dismounted to fire, within forty 
yards of her, in open ground. Colesberg was 
extremely afraid of the elephants, and gave me 
much trouble, jerking my arm when I tried to fire. 
At length I let fly ; but, on endeavoring to regain 
my saddle, Colesberg declined to allow me to 
mount ; and when I tried to lead him, and run for 
it, he only backed toward the wounded elephant. 
At this moment I heard another elephant close 
behind; and looking about, I beheld the "friend," 
with uplifted trunk, charging down upon me at top 
speed, shrilly trumpeting, and following an old 
black pointer named Schwart, that was perfectly 
deaf and trotted along before the enraged elephant 
quite unaware of what was behind him. I felt cer- 
tain that she would have either me or my horse. 
I, however, determined not to relinquish my steed, 
but to hold on by the bridle. My men, who, of 



BY LAND AND SEA. 457 

course, kept at a safe distance, stood aghast with 
their mouths open, and for a few seconds my posi- 
tion was certainly not an enviable one. Fortunate- 
ly, however, the dogs took off the attention of the 
elephants; and just as they were upon me, I man- 
aged to spring into the saddle, where I was safe. 
As I turned my back to mount, the elephants were 
so very near that I really expected to feel one of 
their trunks lay hold of me. I rode up to Kleinboy 
for my double-barreled two-grooved rifle : he and 
Isaac were pale and almost speechless with fright. 
Returning to the charge, I was soon once more along- 
side and, firing from the saddle, I sent another 
brace of bullets into the wounded elephant. Coles- 
berg was extremely unsteady, and destroyed the 
correctness of my aim. 

The friend now seemed resolved to do some mis- 
chief, and charged me furiously, pursuing me to a 
distance of several hundred yards. I therefore 
deemed it proper to give her a gentle hint to act 
less officiously, and, accordingly, having loaded, I 
approached within thirty yards, and give it her 
sharp, right and left, behind the shoulder, upon 
which she at once made off with drooping trunk, 
evidently with a mortal wound. I never recur to 
this day's elephant shooting without regretting my 

folly in contenting myself with securing only one 

20 



458 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

elephant. The first was now dying, and could not 
leave the ground, and the second was also mortally 
wounded, and I had only to follow and finish her ; 
hut I foolishly allowed her to escape, while I amused 
myself with the first, which kept walking back- 
ward, and standing by every tree she passed. Two 
more shots finished her: on receiving them, she 
tossed her trunk up and down two or three times, 
and, falling on her broadside against a thorny tree, 
which yielded like grass before her enormous w T eight, 
she uttered a deep, hoarse cry, and expired. This 
was a very handsome old cow elephant, and was 
decidedly the best in the troop. She was in excel- 
lent condition, and carried a pair of long and perfect 
tusks. I was in high spirits at my success, and felt 
so perfectly satisfied with having killed one, that, 
although it was still early in the day, and my horses 
were fresh, I allowed the troop of five bulls to 
remain unmolested, foolishly trusting to fall in with 
them next day. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 459 



THE SHARK SENTINEL. 

With my companion, one beautiful afternoon, ram- 
bling over the rocky cliffs at the back of the island, 
(New Providence, W. I.,) we came to a spot where 
the stillness and the clear transparency of the water 
invited us to bathe. It was not deep. As we stood 
above, on the promontory, we could see the bottom 
in every part. Under the headland, which formed 
the opposite side of the cove, there was a cavern, to 
which, as the shore was steep, there was no access 
but by swimming, and we resolved to explore it. 
We soon reached its mouth, and were enchanted 
with its romantic grandeur and wild beauty. It 
extended, we found, a long way back, and had sev- 
eral natural baths, into all of which we successively 
threw ourselves ; each, as they receded further from 
the mouth of the cavern, being colder than the last. 
The tide, it was evident, had free ingress, and renew- 
ed the water every twelve hours. Here we thought- 
lessly amused ourselves for some time. 

At length the declining sun warned us that it was 
time to take our departure from the cave, when, at 
no great distance from us, we saw the back or dorsal 



460 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

fin of a monstrous shark above the surface of the 
water, and his whole length visible beneath it. We 
looked at him and at each other in dismay, hoping 
that he would soon take his departure, and go in 
search of other prey ; but the rogue swam to and 
fro, just like a frigate blockading an enemy's port. 

The sentinel paraded before us, about ten or fif- 
teen yards in front of the cave, tack and tack, 
waiting only to serve one, if not both of us, as we 
should have served a shrimp or an oyster. We had 
no intention, however, in this, as in other instances, 
of " throwing ourselves on the mercy of the court." 
In vain did we look for relief from other quarters ; 
the promontory above us was inaccessible ; the tide 
was rising, and the sun touching the clear, blue 
edge of the horizon. 

I, being the leader, pretended to a little knowl- 
edge in Ichthyology, and told my companion that 
fish could hear as well as see, and that therefore the 
less we said, the better; and the sooner we retreated 
out of his sight, the sooner he would take himself 
off. This was our only chance, and that a poor one ; 
for the flow of the water would soon have enabled 
him to enter the cave and help himself, as he seem- 
ed perfectly acquainted with the locale, and knew 
that we had no mode of retreat, but by the way we 
came. We drew back out of sight, and I do n't 



BY LAND AND SEA. 4G1 

know when I ever passed a more unpleasant quar- 
ter of an hour. A suit in chancery, or even a spring 
lounge at Newsrate, would have been almost a luxu- 
ry to what I felt when the shades of night began to 
darken the mouth of our cave, and this infernal 
monster continued to parade, like a water-bailiff, 
before its door. At last, not seeing the shark's fin 
above the water, I made a sign to Charles, that cost 
what it might, we must swim for it, for we had 
notice to quit by the tide; and if we did not depart, 
should soon have an execution in the house. We 
had been careful not to utter a word, and, silently 
pressing each other by the hand, we slipped into 
the water ; and, recommending ourselves to Provi- 
dence, struck out manfully. I must own I never felt 
more assured of destruction, not even when I once 
swam through the blood of a poor sailor — while the 
sharks were eating him — for the sharks then had 
something to occupy them ; but this one had noth- 
ing else to do but to look after us — we had the 
benefit of his undivided attention. 

My sensations were indescribably horrible. I 
may occasionally write or talk of the circumstance 
with levity, but whenever I recall it to mind, I trem- 
ble at the bare recollection of the dreadful fate that 
seemed inevitable. My companion was not so expert 
a swimmer as I was, so that I distanced him many 



462 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

feet, when I heard him utter a faint cry. I turned 
round, convinced that the shark had seized him, but 
it was not so; my having left him so far behind 
had increased his terror, and induced him to draw 
my attention. I returned to him, held him up, and 
encouraged him. Without this he would certainly 
have sunk; he revived with my help, and we reach- 
ed the sandy beach in safety, having eluded our 
enemy, who, when he neither saw nor heard us, 
had, as I concluded he would, quitted the spot. 

Once more on terra firma, we lay gasping for 
some minutes before we spoke. What my compan- 
ions thoughts were, I do not know; mine were 
replete with gratitude to God, and renewed vows of 
amendment ; and I have every reason to think, that 
although Charles had not so much room for reform 
as myself, that his feelings were perfectly in unison 
with my own. 

We never repeated this amusement, though we 
frequently talked of our escape and laughed at our 
terrors, yet, on these occasions, our conversation 
always took a serious turn; and, upon the whole, I 
am convinced that this adventure did us both a 
vast deal of good. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 465 



HUNTING THE TIGER. 

A gentleman in the civil service of the British 
East India Company, relates the following : 

" When a tiger springs on an elephant, the latter 
is generally able to shake him off under his feet, 
and then woe be to him. The elephant either kneels 
on him and crushes him at once, or gives him a 
kick which breaks half his ribs, and sends him fly- 
ing perhaps twenty paces. The elephants, however, 
are often dreadfully torn ; and a large old tiger clings 
too fist to be thus dealt with. In this case it often 
happens that the elephant himself falls, from pain, or 
from the hope of rolling on his enemy ; and the peo- 
ple on his back are in very considerable danger both 
from friends and foes. The scratch of a tiger is 
sometimes venomous, as that of a cat is said to be. 
But this does not often happen; and, in general, 
persons wounded by his teeth or claws, if not killed 
outright, recover easily enough. 

" I was at Jaffna, at the northern extremity of 
the Island of Ceylon, in the beginning of the year 
1819 : when, one morning, my servant called me 
an hour or two before my usual time, with, ' Master, 



466 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

master ! people sent for master's dogs — tiger in the 
town ! ' Now, my dogs chanced to be some very 
degenerate specimens of a fine species, called the 
Poligar dog, which I should designate as a sort of 
wiry-haired grayhound, without scent. I kept them 
to hunt jackals ; but tigers are very different things : 
by the way, there are no real tigers in Ceylon ; but 
leopards and panthers are always called so, and by 
ourselves as well as by the natives. This turned 
out to be a panther. My gun chanced not to be put 
together ; and while my servant was doing it, the 
collector, and two medical men, who had recently 
arrived, came to my door, the former armed with a 
fowling-piece, and the latter with remarkably blunt 
hog-spears. They insisted upon setting off without 
waiting for my gun, a proceeding not much to my 
taste. The tiger (I must continue to call him so) 
had taken refuge in a hut, the roof of which, as 
those of Ceylon huts in general, spread to the 
ground like an umbrella ; the only aperture into it 
was a small door, about four feet high. The collect- 
or wanted to get the tiger out at once. I begged 
to wait for my gun; but no — the fowling-piece 
(loaded with ball, of course) and the two hog-spears 
were quite enough. I got a hedge-stake, and await- 
ed my fate, from very shame. At this moment, to 
my great delight, there arrived from the fort, an 



BY LAND AND SEA. 467 

English officer, two artillery-inen, and a Malay cap- 
tain ; and a pretty figure we should have cut with- 
out them, as the event will show. I was now quite 
ready to attack, and my gun came a minute after- 
ward. The whole scene which follows took place 
within an enclosure, about twenty feet square, form- 
ed, on three sides, by a strong fence of palmyra 
leaves, and on the fourth by the hut. At the door 
of this the two artillery-men planted themselves ; 
and the Malay captain got on the top, to frighten 
the tigqr out, by worrying it — an easy operation, 
as the huts there are covered with cocoa-nut leaves. 
One of the artillery -men wanted to go in to the tiger, 
but we would not suffer it. At last the beast 
sprang ; this man received him on his bayonet, 
which he thrust apparently down his throat, firing 
his piece at the same moment. The bayonet broke 
off short, leaving less than three inches on the mus- 
ket ; the rest remained in the animal, but was invis- 
ible to us : the shot probably w r ent through his 
cheek, for it certainly did not seriously injure him, 
as he instantly rose upon his legs, with a loud roar, 
and placed his paws upon the soldier's breast. At 
this moment, the animal appeared to me to about 
reach the center of the man's face; but I had 
scarcely time to observe this, when the tiger, stoop- 
ing his head, seized the soldier's arm in his mouth, 



468 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

turned him half round staggering, threw him over 
on his back, and fell upon him. Our dread now 
was, that if we fired upon the tiger, we might kill 
the man : for a moment there was a pause, when his 
comrade attacked the beast exactly in the same 
manner as the gallant fellow himself had done. He 
struck his bayonet into his head ; the tiger rose at 
him — he fired ; and this time the ball took effect, 
and in the head. The animal staggered backward, 
and we all poured in our fire. He still kicked and 
writhed ; when the gentlemen with the hog-spears 
advanced, and fixed him, while the natives finished 
him, by beating him on the head with hedge-stakes. 
The brave artillery-man was, after all, but slightly 
hurt : he claimed the skin, which was very cheerfully 
given to him. There was, however, a cry among 
the natives that the head should be cut off: it was; 
and in so doing, the knife came directly across the 
bayonet. The animal measured scarcely less than 
four feet from the root of the tail to the muzzle. 
There was no tradition of a tiger having been in 
Jaffna before; indeed, this one must have either 
come a distance of almost twenty miles, or have 
swam across an arm of the sea nearly two in breadth ; 
for Jaffna stands on a peninsula, on which there is 
no jungle of any magnitude, 



BY LAND AND SEA. 469 



INDIAN DEVIL. 

There is an animal in the deep recesses of the 
forests of Maine, evidently belonging to the feline 
race, which, on account of its ferocity, is signifi- 
cantly called " Indian Devil " — in the Indian lan- 
guage, " the Lunk Soos ; " a terror to the Indians, 
and the only animal in New England of which they 
stand in dread. You may speak of the moose, the 
bear, and the wolf even, and the red man is ready 
for the chase and the encounter. But name the 
object of his dread, and he will significantly shake 
his head, while he exclaims, " He all one debil ! " 

An individual by the name of Smith met with 
the following adventure in an encounter with one 
of these animals on the Arromucto, while on his 
way to join a crew engaged in timber-making in 
the woods. 

He had nearly reached the place of encampment, 
when he came suddenly upon one of these ferocious 
animals. There was no chance for retreat, neither 
had he time for reflection on the best method of 
defence or escape. As he had no arms or other 



470 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

weapons of defence, his first impulse, in this truly 
fearful position, unfortunately, perhaps, was to spring 
into a small tree near by ; but he had scarcely as- 
cended his length when the desperate creature, 
probably rendered still more fierce by the prompt- 
ings of hunger, sprang upon and seized him by the 
heel. Smith, however, after having his foot badly 
bitten, disengaged it from the shoe, which was 
firmly clinched in the creature's teeth, and let him 
drop. The moment he was disengaged, Smith 
sprang for a more secure position, and the animal 
at the same time leaped to another large tree, about 
ten feet distant, up which he ascended to an ele- 
vation equal to that of his victim, from which he 
threw himself upon him, firmly fixing his teeth in 
the calf of his leg. Hanging suspended thus until 
the flesh, insufficient to sustain the weight, gave 
way, he dropped again to the ground, carrying a 
portion of flesh in his mouth. Having greedily 
devoured this morsel, he bounded again up the op- 
posite tree, and from thence upon Smith, in this 
manner renewing his attacks, and tearing away the 
flesh in mouthfuls from his legs. During this ago- 
nizing operation, Smith contrived to cut a limb from 
the tree, to which he managed to bind his jack- 
knife, with which he could now assail his enemy at 
every leap. He succeeded thus in wounding him 



BY LAND AND SEA. 471 

so badly that at length his attacks were discontin- 
ued, and he finally disappeared in the dense forest. 
During the encounter, Smith had exerted his voice 
to the utmost to alarm the crew, who, he hoped, 
might be within hail. He was heard, and in a short 
time several of the crew reached the place, but not 
in time to save him from the dreadful encounter. 
The sight was truly appalling. His garments were 
not only rent from him, but the flesh literally torn 
from his leg?, exposing even the bone and sinews. 
It was with the greatest difficulty he made the de- 
scent of the tree. Exhausted through loss of blood, 
and overcome by fright and exertion, he sunk upon 
the ground and immediately fainted ; but the appli- 
cation of snow restored him to consciousness. Pre- 
paring a litter from poles and boughs, they conveyed 
him to the camp, washed and dressed his wounds, 
as well as circumstances would allow, and, as soon 
as possible, removed him to the settlement, where 
medical aid was secured. After a protracted period 
of confinement, he gradually recovered from his 
wounds, though still carrying terrible scars, and 
sustaining irreparable injury. Such desperate en- 
counters are, however of rare occurrence, though 
collisions less sanguinary are not unfrequent. 



472 THRILLING ADVENTURES 



BEAR FIGHT. 

A sanguinary encounter with bears took place in 
the vicinity of Tara-height, on the Madawaska river, 
a few years since : 

" A trap had been set by one of the men, named 
Jacob Harrison, who, being out in search of a yoke 
of oxen on the evening in question, saw a young 
bear fast in the trap, and three others close at hand 
in a very angry mood, a fact which rendered it ne- 
cessary for him to make tracks immediately. On 
arriving at the farm, he gave the alarm, and, seizing 
an old dragoon sabre, he was followed to the scene 
of action by Mr. James Burke, armed with a gun, 
and the other man with an axe. 

" They proceeded direct to the trap, supplied with 
a rope, intending to take the young bear alive. It 
being a short time after dark, objects could not be 
distinctly seen; but, on approaching close to the 
scene of action, a crashing among the leaves and 
dry branches, with sundry other indications, warned 
them of the proximity of the old animals. When 
within a few steps of the spot, a dark mass was 
seen on the ground — a growl was heard — -and the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 473 

confined beast made a furious leap on Jacob, who 
was in advance, catching him by the legs. The in- 
furiated animal inflicted a severe wound on his knee, 
upon which he drew his sword and defended him- 
self with great coolness. 

" Upon receiving several wounds from the sabre, 
the cub commenced to growl and cry in a frightful 
and peculiar manner, when the old she-bear, attract- 
ed to the spot, rushed on the adventurous Harrison, 
and attacked him from behind with great ferocity. 
Jacob turned upon the new foe, and wielded his 
trusty weapon with such energy and success, that 
in a short time he deprived her of one of her fore 
paws by a lucky stroke, and completely disabled 
her, eventually, by a desperate cut across the neck, 
which divided the tendons and severed the spinal 
vertebrae. Having completed his conquest, he had 
ample time to dispatch the imprisoned cub at leisure. 

" During the time this stirring and dangerous 
scene, we have related, was enacting, war was 
going on in equally bloody and vigorous style at a 
short distance. Mr. Burke, having discharged his 
gun at the other old bear, only slightly wounded 
him ; the enraged Bruin sprang at him with a fu- 
rious howl. He was met with a blow from the butt- 
end of the fowling-piece. At the first stroke, the 
stock flew in pieces, and the next the heavy barrel 



474 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

was hurled a distance of twenty feet among the mi 
derwood by a side blow from the dexterous paw of 
the bear. Mr. Burke then retreated a few feet, and 
placed his back against a large hemlock, followed the 
while closely by the bear, but, being acquainted with 
the nature of the animal and his mode of attack, 
he drew a large hunting knife from his belt, and, 
placing his arms by his side, coolly awaited the onset. 

" The maddened brute approached, growling and 
gnashing his teeth, and, with a savage spring, encir- 
cled the body of the hunter and the tree in his iron 
gripe. The next moment, the flashing blade of the 
coideau chasse tore his abdomen, and his smoking 
entrails rolled upon the ground. At this exciting 
crisis of the struggle, the other man, accompanied by 
the dog, came up in time to witness the triumphal 
close of the conflict. 

" Two old bears and a cub were the fruit of this 
dangerous adventure — all extremely fat — the larg- 
est of which, it is computed, would weigh upward 
of two hundred and fifty pounds. We have seldom 
heard of a more dangerous encounter with bears, 
and we are happy to say that Mr. Burke received 
no injury ; Mr. Jacob Harrison, although torn se- 
verely, and having three ribs broken, recovered un- 
der the care of an Indian doctor of the Algonquin 
tribe." 



BY LAND AND SEA. 475 



THE MINERS OF BOIS-MONZIL. 

On Tuesday, February 22, 1831, a violent deton- 
ation was suddenly heard in the coal mine of Bois- 
Monzil, belonging to M. Robinot. The waters from 
the old works rushed impetuously along the new 
galleries. " The waters, the waters ! " such was the 
cry that resounded from the affrighted workmen 
throughout the mine. Only ten miners out of 
twenty-six were able to reach the entrance. One 
of them brought off in his arms, a boy eleven years 
old, whom he thus saved from sudden death ; an- 
other impelled by the air and the water, to a "con- 
siderable distance, could scarcely credit his escape 
from such imminent danger; a third rushed forward 
with his sack full of coals on his shoulders, which, 
in his fright, he had never thought of throwing 
down. 

The disastrous news, that sixteen workmen had 
perished in the mine of M. Robinot, was soon cir- 
culated in the town of St. Etienne. It was re- 
garded as one of those fatal and deplorable events, 
unfortunately, too common in that neighborhood, 



476 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and on the ensuing Thursday it was no longer 
talked of. Politics, and the state of parties in 
Paris, exclusively occupied the public attention. 

The engineers of the mines, however, and some 
of their pupils, who, on the first alarm, had has- 
tened to the spot, still remained there, continuing 
their indefatigable endeavors to discover the miners 
who were missing. Nothing that mechanical sci 
ence, manual labor, and perseverance, prompted by 
humanity, could perform, was left undone. 

Thirty hours had already elapsed since the fatal 
accident, when two workmen announced the dis- 
covery of a jacket and some provisions belonging 
to the miners. The engineers immediately essayed 
to penetrate into the galleries where these objects 
had been found, which they accomplished with 
much difficulty, by crawling on their hands and 
feet. In vain they repeatedly called aloud; no 
voice, save the echo of their own, answered from 
those narrow and gloomy vaults. It then occurred 
to them to strike with their pickaxes against the 
roof of the mine. Still the same uncheering si- 
lence ! Listen ! yes ! the sounds are answered by 
similar blows ! Every heart beats, every pulse 
quickens, every breath is contracted ; yet, perhaps, 
it is but an illusion of their wishes — ■ or, perhaps, 
some deceitful echo. They again strike the vaulted 



BY LAND A-ND SEA. 477 

roof. There is no longer any doubt. The same 
number of strokes is returned. No words can 
paint the varied feelings that pervaded every heart. 
It was (to use the expression of a person present) 
a veritable delirium of joy, of fear, and of hope. 

Without losing an instant, the engineers ordered 
a hole to be bored in the direction of the galleries, 
where the miners were presumed to be ; at the same 
time, they directed, on another point, the formation 
of an inclined well, for the purpose of communicating 
with them. 

Two of the engineer's pupils were now dispatched 
to the mayor of St. Etienne, to procure a couple of 
fire pumps, which they conducted back to the mine, 
accompanied by two firemen. In the ardor of youth- 
ful humanity, these young men imagined that the 
deliverance of the miners was but the affair of a 
few hours; and, wishing to prepare an "agreeable 
surprise " for the friends of the supposed victims, 
they gave strict injunctions at the mayoralty to 
keep the object of their expedition a profound 
secret. 

Notwithstanding the untiring efforts made to 
place these pumps in the mine, it was found im- 
possible. Either they were upon a plane too much 
inclined to admit of their playing with facility, or the 
water was too muddy to be received up the pipes ; 



478 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

they were therefore abandoned. In the meantime, 
the attempts made to reach the miners by sounding, 
or by the inclined well, seemed to present insur- 
mountable difficulties. The distance to them was 
unknown ; the sound of their blows on the roof, far 
from offering a certain criterion, or, at least, a prob- 
able one, seemed each time to excite fresh doubts; 
in short, the rock which it was necessary to pierce, 
was equally hard and thick, and the gunpowder un- 
ceasingly used to perforate it, made but a hopeless 
progress. The consequent anxiety that reigned in 
the mine may be easily conceived. Each of the 
party, in his turn, offered his suggestions, sometimes 
of hope, sometimes of apprehension ; and the whole 
felt oppressed by that vague suspense, which is, per- 
haps, more painful to support than the direst cer- 
tainty. The strokes of the unfortunate miners 
continued to reply to theirs, which added to their 
agitation, from the fear of not being able to afford 
them effectual help. They almost thought that in 
such a painful moment their situation was more 
distressing than those they sought to save, as the 
latter were, at any rate, sustained by hope. 

While most of the party were thus perplexed by 
a crowd of disquieting ideas, produced by the dis- 
tressing nature of the event itself, and by their pro- 
tracted stay in a mine where the few solitary lamps 



BY LAND AND SEA. 479 

scarcely rendered " darkness visible," the workmen 
continued their labors with redoubled ardor; some 
of them were hewing to pieces blocks of the rock, 
which fell slowly and with much difficulty ; others 
were actively employed in boring the hole before 
named, Avhile some of the engineers' apprentices 
sought to discover new galleries, either by creeping 
on " all fours/' or by penetrating through perilous 
and narrow crevices and clefts of the rock. 

In the midst of their corporeal and mental labors, 
their attention was suddenly excited from another 
painful source. The wives of the hapless miners 
had heard that all hope was not extinct. They 
hastened to the spot ; with heart-rending cries and 
through tears alternately of despair and hope, they 
exclaimed, " Are they all there ? " " Where is the 
father of my children ? Is he among them, or has 
he been swallowed up by the waters?" 

At the bottom of the mine, close to the water- 
reservoir, a consultation was held on the plan to be 
pursued. Engineers, pupils, workmen, all agreed 
that the only prospect of success consisted in ex- 
hausting the water, which was already sensibly di- 
minished, by the working of the steam-pump ; the 
other pumps produced little or no effect, notwith- 
standing the vigorous efforts employed to render 
them serviceable. It was then proposed remedying 



480 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

the failure of these pumps by line chaine a bras, 
viz, by forming a line, and passing buckets from one 
to the other ; this method was adopted, and several 
of the pupils proceeded with all speed to St.Etienne. 
It was midnight. The generate was beat in two 
quarters of the town only. The Hotel de Ville was 
assigned as the place of rendezvous. On the first 
alarm, a great number of persons hurried to the 
town-hall, imagining a fire had broken out, but, on 
ascertaining the real cause, several of them returned 
home, apparently unmoved. Yet these same per- 
sons, whose supposed apathy had excited both sur- 
prise and indignation, quickly reappeared on the 
scene, dressed in the uniform of the National Guard. 
So powerful is the magic influence of organized 
masses, marching under the orders of a chief, and 
stimulated by I 'esprit de corps. 

It was truly admirable to see with what address 
and rapidity the three or four hundred men, who 
had hastened to Bois-Monzil, passed and repassed 
the buckets, by forming a chain to the bottom of 
the mine. But their generous efforts became too 
fatiguing to last long. Imagine a subterranean vault, , 
badly lighted, where they were obliged to maintain 
themselves in a rapid descent in a stooping posture, 
to avoid striking their heads against the roof of the 
vault, and, most of the time, up to the middle in the 



BY LAND AND SEA. 481 

water, which was dripping from every side ; some 
idea may then be formed of their painful situation. 
They were relieved from this laborious duty b}' the 
Garde Nationale of St. Etienne, whose zeal and en- 
thusiasm exceeded all praise. But a more precious 
reinforcement was at hand ; the workmen from the 
adjacent mines now arrived in great numbers. From 
their skill and experience every thing might be 
expected ; if they failed there was no further hope. 

The chaine a bras was again renewed by com- 
panies of the National Guard, relieved every two 
hours, who, at respective distances, held the lights, 
and under whose orders they acted. It was a cheer- 
ing spectacle to behold citizens of all ranks engaged 
in one of the noblest offices of humanity, under the 
direction of poor colliers. 

The immense advantages of the organization of 
the National Guard, were never more strikingly ex- 
emplified than on this occasion. Without them, 
there would have been no means or possibility of 
uniting together an entire population ; of leading 
the people from a distance of more than three miles, 
night and day, so as to insure a regular and contin- 
ued service ; all would have been trouble and con- 
fusion. With them, on the contrary, every thing was 
ready, and in motion, at the voice of a single chief; 
and the whole was conducted with such precision 

21 



482 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

and regularity as had never on similar occasions^ 
been witnessed before. 

The road from St. Etienne to Bois-Monzil, exhib- 
ited a scene of the most animated kind. In the 
midst of the motley and moving multitude, the 
National Guards were seen hurrying to and fro; 
chasseurs, grenadiers, cavalry and artillerymen, all 
clothed in their rich new costume, as on a field day. 
Some of the crowd were singing a la Parisienm, 
others were lamenting, praying, hoping, despairing, 
and, by "fits and starts," abandoning themselves 
to those opposite extravagances of sentiment so 
peculiarly characteristic of a French population. 
When night drew her sable curtains around, the 
picturesque of the scene was still more heightened. 
Fresh bands of miners, conducted by their respec- 
tive chiefs, coming in from every side ; their sooty 
visages lighted up by glaring torches ; National 
Guards arriving from different parts of the coun- 
try, to join their comrades of St. Etienne ; farmers 
and peasants, on horseback and afoot, hastening to 
offer their humane aid; sentinels posted — muskets 
piled — watch-fires blazing, and, in short, the tout 
ensemble rendered the approaches of Bois-Monzil 
like a bivouac on the eve of an expected battle ; 
happily, however, the object of these brave men 
was to preserve life, and not to destroy it. 



BY LAND AND SEA. 483 

On Saturday, the chaine a Iras was discontinued, 
as the engineers had brought the pumps effectually 
to work. Suddenly a cry of joy was echoed from 
mouth to mouth, " They are saved ! they are saved ! 
six of them are freed from their subterraneous pri- 
son ! " shouted a person at the entrance of the mine. 
The rumor was instantly repeated along the crowd, 
and a horseman set off at full speed for St. Etienne, 
with the gratifying news ; another followed, and con- 
firmed the report of his predecessor. The whole 
town was in motion, and all classes seemed, to par- 
take of the general joy, with a feeling as if each 
had been individually interested. In the exuber- 
ance of their delight they were already deliberat- 
ing on the subject of a fete, to celebrate the happy 
event, when a third horsemen arrived. The multi- 
tude thronged round him, expecting a more ample 
confirmation of the welcome tidings. But their 
joy was soon turned to sorrow, when they were 
informed that nothing had yet been discovered, 
gave the dead bodies of two unfortunate men, who, 
together had left eleven children to lament their 
untimely fate. 

On Sunday, the w T orkmen continued their labor 
with equal zeal and uncertainty as before. A sort 
of inquietude and hopelessness, however, occasion- 
ally pervaded their minds, which may be easily 



484 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

accounted for, from the hitherto fruitless result of 
their fatiguing researches. Discussions now took 
place on what was to be done ; differences of opin- 
ion arose on the various plans proposed, and, in the 
meantime, the sounds of the hapless victims from 
the recesses of the rocky cavern continued to be 
distinctly audible. Every moment the embarrass- 
ment and difficulties of the workmen increased. 
The flinty rock seemed to grow more impenetrable; 
their tools either broke, or became so fixed in the 
stone, that it was frequently impossible to regain 
them. The water filtered from all parts, through 
the narrow gallery they were perforating, and they 
even began to apprehend another irruption. 

Such was the state of things on Monday morn- 
ing, when, at four o'clock, an astounding noise was 
heard, which reechoed throughout the whole extent 
of the mine. A general panic seized on every one ; 
it was thought that the waters had forced a new 
issue. A rapid and confused flight took place; but, 
luckily, their fears were soon allayed on perceiving 
that it was only an immense mass of rock, detached 
from the mine, which had fallen into a draining-well. 
This false alarm, however, operated in a discourag- 
ing manner, on the minds of the workmen; and it 
required some management to bring them back to 
the'.r respective stations, and to revive that ardor 



BY LAND AND SEA. 485 

and constancy, which they had hitherto so nobly 
displayed. 

They had scarcely renewed their endeavors to 
bore through the rock, when suddenly one of them 
felt the instrument drawn from his hands, by the 
poor imprisoned miners. It was, indeed, to them, 
the instrument of deliverance from their cruel situ- 
ation. Singular to relate, their first request was 
neither for food nor drink, but for light, as if they 
were more eager to make use of their eyes, than to 
satisfy the pressing wants of appetite ! It was now 
ascertained that eight of the sufferers still survived ; 
and this time an authentic account of the happy 
discovery was dispatched to St. Etienne, where it 
excited the most enthusiastic demonstrations of 
sympathy and gladness. But there is no pleasure 
unmixed with alloy ; no general happiness unac- 
companied by particular exceptions. Among the 
workmen, was the father of one of the men who 
had disappeared in the mine. His paternal feel- 
ings seemed to have endowed him with superhuman 
strength. Night and day he never quitted his work 
but for a few minutes to return to it with redoubled 
ardor ; one sole, absorbing thought occupied his 
"whole soul; the idea that his son, his only son, was 
with those who were heard from within. In vain 
he was solicited to retire ; in vain they strove to 



486 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

force him from labors too fatiguing for his age. "My 
son is among them," said he, " I hear him ; nothing 
shall prevent my hastening his release ; " and, from 
time to time, he called on his son, in accents that 
tore the hearts of the bystanders. It was from his 
hand that the instrument had been drawn. His 
first question was " my child ? " Like Apelles, let 
me throw a vail over a father's grief. His Antoine 
was no more, he had been drowned. 

For four days several medical men were con- 
stantly on the spot, to contribute all the succors 
that humanity, skill, and science could afford. It 
was they who introduced through the hole, broth 
and soup, by means of long, tin tubes, which had 
been carefully prepared beforehand. The poor cap- 
tives distributed it with the most scrupulous at- 
tention, first to the oldest and weakest of their 
companions; for, notwithstanding their dreadful sit- 
uation, the spirit of concord and charity had never 
ceased for a single moment to preside among them. 
The man who was appointed by the others to com- 
municate with, and answer the questions of their 
deliverers, displayed, in all his replies, a gayety 
quite in keeping with the French character. On 
being asked what day he thought it was, and on 
being informed that it was Monday, instead of Sun- 
day, as he had supposed, " Ah !" said he, " I ought 



BY LAND AND SEA. 487 

to have known that, as we yesterday indulged our- 
selves freely in drinking — water." Strange that a 
man should have the heart to joke, who had been 
thus " cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd," during five days, 
destitute of food, deprived of air, agitated by sus- 
pense, and in jeopardy of perishing by the most 
horrible of all deaths ! 

There still remained full sixteen feet of solid rock 
between the two anxious parties; but the work- 
men's labors were now, if possible, redoubled by the 
certainty of complete success. At intervals, light 
nourishment in regulated quantities, continued to be 
passed to the miners ; this, however they soon re- 
jected, expressing but one desire, that their friends 
would make haste. Their strength began to foil 
them ; their respiration became more and more dif- 
ficult; their utterance grew feebler and fainter; and 
toward six o'clock in the evening, the last words 
that could be distinguished, were *— "Brothers make 
haste ! " 

The general anxiety was now wound up to the 
highest pitch ; it was, perhaps, the most trying cri- 
sis yet experienced since the commencement of 
their benevolent labors ; at length the moment of 
deliverance was, all at once, announced, and at ten 
o'clock it was accomplished. One by one, they ap- 
peared, like specters, gliding along the gallery which 



488 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

had just been completed ; their weak and agitated 
forms supported by the engineers, on whom they 
cast their feeble eyes, filled with astonishment, yet 
beaming with gratitude. Accompanied by the doc- 
tors, they all with one single exception, ascended to 
the entrance of the mine, without aid ; such was 
their eagerness to inhale the pure air of liberty. 
From the mouth of the mine to the temporary resi- 
dence allotted them, the whole way was illuminated. 
The engineers, pupils, and the workmen, with the 
National Guard under arms, were drawn up in two 
lines to form a passage ; and thus, in the midst of 
a religious silence, did these poor fellows traverse 
an attentive and sympathizing crowd, who, as they 
passed along, inclined their heads, as a sort of 
respect and honor to their sufferings. 

Such are the affecting particulars of an event, 
during the whole of which, every kind of business 
was suspended at St. Etienne ; an event which ex- 
hibited the entire population of a large town, form- 
ing, as it were, but one heart, entertaining but one 
thought, imbued with one feeling, for the god-like 
purpose of saving the lives of eight poor, obscure 
individuals. Christians, men of all countries, when- 
ever and wherever suffering humanity claims your 
aid — " Go ye and do likewise !" 



1JY LAND AND SEA. 491 



SHIP TOWED TO LAND BY BULLOCKS. 

A few years since the ship Ariadne, freighted 
principally with live cattle, started on a voyage from 
Quebec, bound to Halifax. A gale came on, which 
continued to increase in fur}', until it became a per- 
fect hurricane. The ship was dismasted, and when 
the mainmast fell, three poor fellows were crushed 
to death. A little before sunset, on the second day 
of the gale, the appalling cry of "Breakers ahead!" 
was raised. All eyes were instinctively turned in 
one direction ; and, about a mile off, the sea was as 
a boiling caldron. Toward the breakers the hull 
was now drifting, unmanageable, every moment 
threatened with destruction. For about half an 
hour, there was intense anxiety, and an agony of 
suspense on board. At length she entered the 
breakers. A large wave raised her, and she struck 
heavily on the rocks as the waves receded ; it was 
evident, from constant striking upon the bottom, 
that the vessel must soon go to pieces ; and the sea 
made a clean break over her, about half of the length 
from the stern. The officers and crew w y ere huddled 



492 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

together upon the deck forward, intent upon devis- 
ing means of escape; at last the captain thought of 
a plan, which, though novel, proved successful. He 
fastened ropes to the horns of several bullocks, and 
drove them into the sea, their strong, instinctive love 
of life impelled them forward, and several of them 
reached the shore. The ropes were fastened by 
some men, who had assembled for the relief of those 
on the vessel, and after much exertion and clanger, 
all on board were rescued from their perilous situa- 
tion, and landed in safety. * 



DESTRUCTION OF A SHIP BY A WHALE. 

The following thrilling; account of the destruction 
of the whale ship Ann Alexander, Captain John S. 
Deblois, of New Bedford, by a large sperm whale, is 
from the lips of the captain himself. A similar cir- 
cumstance has never been known to occur but once 
in the whole history of whale-fishing, and that was 
the destruction of the ship Essex, some twenty or 
twenty-five years ago, and which many of our read- 
ers fully remember, We proceed to the narrative 



BY LAND AND SEA. 493 

as furnished by Captain Deblois, and which is fully 
authenticated by nine of the crew, in a protest under 
the seal of the United States Consul, Alexander 
Ruden, Jr., at Paita. 

The ship Ann Alexander, Captain J. S. Deblois, 
sailed from New Bedford, Mass., June 1st, 1850, for 
a cruise in the South Pacific for sperm whale. Hav- 
ing taken about five hundred barrels of oil in the 
Atlantic, the ship proceeded on her voyage to the 
Pacific. Nothing of unusual interest occurred until 
when passing Cape Horn, one of the men, named 
Jackson Walker, of Newport, N. H., was lost over- 
board in a storm. Reaching the Pacific, she came 
up the coast and stopped at Valdivia, on the coast of 
Chili, for fresh provisions, and the 31st of May last, 
she called at Paita for the purpose of shipping a man. 
The vessel proceeded on her return voyage to the 
South Pacific. 

On the 20th of August last she reached what is 
well known to all whalers, as the " Off-shore ground," 
in latitude five degrees fifty minutes south, longi- 
tude one hundred and twenty degrees west. In the 
morning of that day, at about nine o'clock, whales 
were discovered in the neighborhood, and about noon, 
the same day, they succeeded in making fast to one. 
Two boats had gone after the whales — the larboard 
and the starboard, the former commanded by the first 



494 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

mate, the latter by Captain Deblois. The whale 
which they had struck, was harpooned by the lar- 
board boat. After running some time, the whale 
turned upon the boat, and rushing at it with tre- 
mendous violence lifted open its enormous jaws, and 
taking the boat in, actually crushed it into fragments 
as small as a common chair ! Captain Deblois imme- 
diately struck for the scene of the disaster with the 
starboard boat, and succeeded, against all expecta- 
tion, in rescuing the whole of the crew of the boat — 

nine in number! 

There were now eighteen men in the starboard 

boat, consisting of the captain, the first mate, and 
the crews of both boats. The frightful disaster had 
been witnessed from the ship, and the waste boat 
was called into readiness, and sent to their relief. 
The distance from the ship was about six miles. 
As soon as the waste boat arrived, the crews were 
divided, and it was determined to pursue the same 
whale, and make another attack upon him. Accord- 
ingly they separated, and proceeded at some, distance 
from each other, as is usual on such occasions, after 
the whale. In a short time, they came up to him, 
and prepared to give him battle. The waste boat, 
commanded by the first mate, was in advance. As 
soon as the whale perceived the demonstration being 
made upon him, he turned his course, suddenly, and 



BY LAND AND SEA. 49o 

making a tremendous dash at this boat, seized it 
with his wide-spread jaws, and crushed it to atoms, 
allowing the men barely time to escape his ven- 
geance, by throwing themselves into the ocean. " 

Captain Deblois, again seeing the perilous condi- 
tion of his men, at the risk of meeting the same fate, 
directed his boat to hasten to their rescue, and in a 
short time succeeded in saving them all from a death 
little less horrible than that from which they had 
twice as narrowly escaped. He then ordered the 
boat to put for the ship as- speedily as possible ; and 
no sooner had the order been given, than they dis- 
covered the monster of the deep making toward 
them with his jaws widely extended. Fortunately, 
the monster came up and passed them at a short 
distance. The boat then made her way to the ship . 
and they all got on board in safety. 

After reaching the ship a boat was dispatched for 
the oars of the demolished boats, and it was deter- 
mined to pursue the whale with the ship. As soon 
as the boat returned with the oars, sail was set, and 
the ship proceeded after the whale. In a short time 
she overtook him, and a lance was thrown into his 
head. The ship passed on by him, and immediately 
after they discovered that the whale was making for 
the ship. As he came up near her, they hauled on 
the wind, and suffered the monster to pass her. 



496 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

After he had fairly passed, they kept off to overtake 
and attack him again. When the ship had reached 
within about fifty rods of him, they discovered that 
the whale had settled down deep below the surface 
of the water, and, as it was near sundown, they con- 
cluded to give up the pursuit. 

Captain Deblois was at this time standing in the 
night-heads on the larboard bow, with lance in hand, 
ready to strike the monster a deadly blow should he 
appear, the ship moving about five knots, when work- 
ing on the side of the ship, he discovered the whale 
rushing toward her at the rate of fifteen knots ! 
In an instant, the monster struck the ship with tre- 
mendous violence, shaking her from stem to stern ! 
She quivered under the violence of the shock, as if 
she had struck upon a rock ! Captain Deblois imme- 
diately descended into the forecastle, and there, to his 
horror, discovered that the monster had struck the 
ship two feet from the keel, abreast the foremast, 
knocking a great hole entirely through her bottom. 
Springing to the deck, he ordered the mate 'to cut 
away the anchors and get the cables overboard, to 
keep the ship from sinking, as she had a large quan- 
tity of pig iron on board. In doing this, the mate 
succeeded in getting only one anchor and one cable 
clear, the other having been fastened around the 
foremast. The ship was then sinking rapidly. The 



BY LAND AND SEA. 497 

captain went to the cabin, where he found three feet 
of water; he, however, succeeded in procuring a 
chronometer, sextant, and chart. 

Reaching the decks, he ordered the boats to be 
cleared away, and get water and provisions, as the 
ship was keeling over. He again descended to the 
cabin, but the water was rushing in so rapidly that 
he could procure nothing. He then came upon deck, 
ordered all hands into the boats, and was the last to 
leave the ship, which he did by throwing himself 
into the sea, and swimming to the nearest boat ! 
The ship was on her beam end, top-gallant yards 
under the water. They then pushed off some dis- 
tance from the ship, expecting her to sink in a very 
short time. Upon an examination of the stores they 
had been able to save, he discovered that they had 
only twelve quarts of water, and not a mouthful of 
provisions of any kind ! The boats contained eleven 
men each ; were leaky, and night coming on, they 
were obliged to bail them all night to keep them 
from sinking ! 

Next day, at daylight, they returned to the ship, 
no one daring to venture on board but the captain, 
their intention being to cut away the masts, and 
fearful that the moment the masts were cut away 
that the ship would go down. With a single 
hatchet, the captain went on board, cut away the 



498 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

mast, when the ship righted. The boats then came 
up, and the men, by the sole aid of spades, cut away 
the chain cable from around the foremast, which got 
the ship nearly on her keel. The men then tied 
ropes around their bodies, got into the sea and cut a 
hole through the decks to get out provisions. They 
could procure nothing but about five gallons of vine- 
gar and twenty pounds of wet bread. The ship 
threatened to sink, and they deemed it prudent to 
remain by her no longer, so they set sail in their 
boats and left her. 

On the 22d of August, at about five o'clock p. m., 
they had the indescribable joy of seeing a ship in 
the distance. They made signal and were soon ans- 
wered, and in a short time they were reached by the 
ship Nantucket, of Nantucket, Mass., Captain Gibbs, 
who took them all on board, clothed and fed them, 
and extended to them in every way the greatest 
possible hospitality. 

On the succeeding day Captain Gibbs went to the 
wreck of the ill-fated Ann Alexander, for the pur- 
pose of trying to procure something; but, as the sea 
was rough, and the attempt considered dangerous, 
he abandoned the project. The Nantucket then set 
sail for Paita, where she arrived on the 15th of 
September, and where she landed Captain Deblois 
and his men. Captain Deblois was kindly received 



BY LAND AND SEA. 501 

•and hospitably entertained at Paita by Captain 
Bathuist, an English gentleman residing there, and 
subsequently took passage on board the schooner 
Providence, Captain Starbuck, for Panama. 



BURNING OF THE KENT. 

The annexed engraving represents the burning 
of the Kent, East Indiaman, in the Bay of Biscay. 
She had on board in all six hundred and forty-one 
persons at the time of the accident. The fire broke 
out in the hold during a storm. An officer on duty, 
finding that a spirit cask had broken loose, was tak- 
ing measures to secure it, when a lurch of the ship 
caused him to drop his lantern, and, in his eagerness 
to save it, he let go the cask, which suddenly stove 
in, the spirits communicated with the flame, and the 
whole place was instantly in a blaze. Hopes of 
subduing the fire at first were strong, but soon 
heavy volumes of smoke and a pitchy smell told 
that it had reached the cable-room. 

In these awful circumstances, the captain ordered 
the lower decks to be scuttled, to admit water; 
this was done ; several poor seamen being suffoca- 
ted by the smoke in executing the order ; but now 



502 THRILLING ADVENTURES 

a new danger threatened, the sea rushed in so 
furiously, that the ship was becoming water-logged, 
and all feared her going down. Between six and 
seven hundred human beings, were by this time 
crowded on the deck. Many on their knees ear- 
nestly implored the mercy of an all-powerful God ! 
while some old stout-hearted sailors quietly seated 
themselves directly over the powder magazine, — 
expecting an explosion every moment, and thinking 
thus to put a speedier end to their torture. 

In this time of despair, it occurred to the fourth 
mate to send a man to the foremast, hoping, but 
scarce daring to think it probable, that some friend- 
ly sail might be in sight. The man at the foretop 
looked around him; it was a moment of intense 
anxiety ; then waving his hat, he cried out, " A sail, 
on the lee-bow ! " 

Those on deck received the news with heart-felt 
gratitude, and answered with three cheers. Signals 
of distress were instantly hoisted, and endeavors 
used to make toward the stranger, while the minute 
guns were fired continuously. She proved to be 
the brig Cambria, Captain Cook, master, bound to 
Vera Cruz, having twenty Cornish miners, and some 
agents of the Mining Company on board. For about 
a quarter of an hour, the crew of the Kent doubt- 
ed whether the brig perceived their signals: but 



BY LAND AND SEA. 503 

after a period of dreadful suspense, they saw the 
British colors hoisted, and the brig making toward 
them. 

On this, the crew of the Kent got their boats in 
readiness ; the first was filled with women, passen- 
gers, and officers' wives, and was lowered into a sea 
so tempestuous as to leave small hope of their 
reaching the brig; they did, however, after being 
nearly swamped through some entanglement of the 
ropes, getting clear of the Kent, and were safely 
taken on board the Cambria, which prudently lay at 
some distance off. 

After the first trip, it was found impossible for 
the boats to come close alongside of the Kent, and 
the poor women and children suffered dreadfully, in 
being lowered over the stern into them by means of 
ropes. Amid this gloomy scene, many beautiful 
examples occurred of filial and parental affection, 
and of disinterested friendship ; and many sorrowful 
instances of individual loss and suffering. At 
length, when all had been removed from the burn- 
ing vessel, but a few, who were so overcome by fear 
as to refuse to make the attempt to reach the brig, 
the captain quitted his ill-fated ship. 

The flames which had spread along her upper 
deck, now mounted rapidly to the mast and rigging, 
forming one general conflagration, and lighting up 



V 

504 THRILLING ADVENTURES" 

the heavens to an immense distance around. One 
by one her stately masts fell over her sides. By 
half-past one in the morning the fire reached the 
powder magazine; the looked-for explosion took 
place, and the burning fragments of the vessel were 
blown high into the air, like so many rockets. 

The Cambria, with her crowd of sufferers, made 
all speed to the nearest port, and reached Ports- 
mouth in safety, shortly after midnight, on the 3d 
of March, 1825, the accident having taken place on 
the 28th of February. Wonderful to tell, fourteen 
of the poor creatures, left on the Kent, were rescued 
by another ship, the Caroline, on her passage from 
Alexandria to Liverpool. 

THE END. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



021 648 942 1 






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